


Where Do I Begin?

by mandeebobandee



Series: Hogwarts Havoc [12]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2020-12-17 00:13:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 38
Words: 35,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21045104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mandeebobandee/pseuds/mandeebobandee
Summary: There are lots of new developments in the lives of our heroes - some good and some bad. Where do they even start with it all?





	1. Chapter 1

Virgil wasn't a fan of dressing up. Give him robes or a hoodie with ripped skinny jeans and he was set.  
  
Unfortunately, he couldn't exactly wear those to a _wedding_.  
  
At least his tuxedo was purple?  
  
At least this wasn't the actual wedding. At least they had a chance to run through things to make sure they didn't screw anything up at the _actual_ event.  
  
Why was Virgil so nervous for a wedding that wasn't even his? Of course he wanted Patton's wedding to go well, but it wasn't like there was much that Virgil _could_ screw up, at least during the wedding ceremony proper.  
  
If he had to make some sort of speech...well, at least he wouldn't have to worry about tripping over his words? He just had to make certain that he didn't mistype something into the text to speech program on his phone!  
  
So yeah. No big deal.  
  
Virgil walked into the room where Patton was waiting for him. Patton was dressed in his typical attire and began to giggle as soon as Virgil walked into the room.  
  
"Why aren't you dressed up?" Virgil asked.  
  
Patton snickered. _"Cause we don't have to? I can understand wanting to get your suit broken in, though. I just don't want Roman to see me in my suit before the wedding! There's this Muggle myth that the groom seeing the bride before the wedding is bad luck!"_  
  
"...you're both grooms though?" Virgil pointed out.  
  
Patton shrugged. _"Yeah, but after everything that's happened to us we should probably take any opportunity to avoid bad luck that we can get!"_  
  
...he wasn't wrong there.  
  
"So I didn't have to dress up?" Virgil asked. "I thought this was a dress rehearsal. I thought that implied that we had to-" Virgil pressed play, then gestured to himself.  
  
_"Oh Virgil, I'm sorry, I should have explained it to you. Its just a saying. Sometimes people dress up and sometimes they don't. It's cool that you dressed up, though!"_ Patton smiled.  
  
Virgil didn't even like dressing up much in the first place, and here he'd done it on a day that he didn't even _need_ to.  
  
So much for not screwing anything up. Virgil was getting off to a _great_ start.  
  
No, Virgil didn't start to feel better until he saw Logan. Logan was _also_ wearing his tuxedo, which meant that he wasn't alone.

Virgil suddenly found it easier to breathe.  
  
_"Hello Virgil. I see you opted for maximum utilization of your tuxedo as well,"_ Logan smiled.  
  
Virgil shrugged, figuring it was easier (and less embarrassing) to just go along with it rather than admit the truth.  
  
_"It is unlikely that we will see very many other opportunities to wear these garments aside from these next couple of days,"_ Logan observed.  
  
Well, Logan wasn't wrong about that. Not only did Virgil not intend to wear this tuxedo any more than he had to, but there weren't many opportunities that he'd _need_ to wear it. Perhaps if they had another wedding to attend in the near future (not entirely out of the realm of possibility), but other than that it would probably just sit in his closet collecting lint.  
  
_"Virgil! Logan! You two are looking dapper!"_ Virgil heard a familiar voice call out. Chelsea and Era approached the two of them hand in hand, Chelsea in her green tuxedo and Era in pretty dress. Chelsea waved with her free hand, indicating that she was the one who spoke to them.  
  
_"Thank you, and the two of you look lovely as well,"_ Logan told them.  
  
_"Thanks! I'm glad we weren't the only two to dress up - we just figured we'd try to get as much use out of these clothes as we could,"_ Era shrugged.  
  
Virgil laughed. "That was our plan too," he said through his phone.  
  
It was getting easier and easier to play into that story, at least.  
  
_"I especially like the way Chelsea looks in her tuxedo- they wear it well,"_ Logan noted.  
  
There it was again, and Virgil was actually in a position where he could ask. But...how could he do so politely? He didn't want to come off as rude.  
  
_"Oh, right, Virgil wasn't awake yet when I told you, Logan!"_ Chelsea snickered.  
  
_"So that's why he looks like a Seer in headlights,"_ Era commented with a wry grin.  
  
_"...clever pun, Era. Patton would be pleased,"_ Logan admitted somewhat reluctantly.  
  
_"Anyway, I'm guessing you're confused about my pronouns?"_ Chelsea asked.  
  
Virgil nodded. "I've heard people use both she and they."  
  
_"Yup, I'm using she/her and they/them now!"_ Chelsea told them with a smile.  
  
_"Have you settled on a label for yourself yet?"_ Logan wondered.  
  
Virgil thought that was a bit personal, but Chelsea didn't seem bothered by it. To Virgil, that said one of two things - Either Chelsea wasn't particularly bothered by this line of conversation, or she and Logan already _discussed_ said matter.  
  
Chelsea shook their head. _"Not yet. All I know is that I don't exactly want to be locked in to one thing. Been there, done that, and figured out it wasn't really my thing."_  
  
_"Genderfluid, perhaps?"_ Logan suggested.  
  
_"That's the most fitting label I've found so far,"_ Chelsea shrugged.  
  
"Well I'm glad you got yourself figured out a little more," Virgil told Chelsea with a smile.  
  
_"Me too,"_ Chelsea admitted.  
  
_"Greetings guys, gals, and nonbinary pals!"_ Virgil heard a familiar voice shout their way.  
  
_"Ah, I would recognize that voice from a mile away,"_ Logan noted.  
  
Roman walked up to them, positively beaming. _"You all look absolutely amazing, but Patton did tell you that you didn't have to dress up for the rehearsal, didn't he?"_  
  
_"He did. We just figured we'd dress up anyway,"_ Chelsea shrugged. _"I mean how often do I get to dress up in a snazzy tux like this?"_  
  
Roman shrugged. _"Suit yourself. I don't think your clothing choices will assist you when it comes to the limbo line, but..."_  
  
Logan made a choking noise. _"Limbo line?!"_  
  
_"Patton's idea,"_ Roman grinned, and Virgil couldn't tell if he was being serious or not.  
  
He supposed that he'd find out soon enough, as Roman beckoned for them to follow him. _"Let's get this rehearsal under way!"_


	2. Chapter 2

The rehearsal went off without a hitch. Virgil hoped that they same could be said for the wedding.  
  
But that was why they ran through it beforehand, right? To make sure that they had everything in order?  
  
The day of the wedding dawned sunny and bright, as if the weather itself were offering Patton and Roman its blessing.  
  
Virgil, Logan, and Dee were some of the first to arrive. Renilda, Professor Picani, and even little Renata would be in attendance as well, but they planned to come a bit later.  
  
Patton and Roman were busy getting dressed and spruced up for the big day. In the meantime, Patton's parents and siblings were hard at work setting up the yard for the ceremony.  
  
_"Why are they doing it all by hand?"_ Dee made a face.  
  
"Patton's parents are Muggles," Virgil reminded him.  
  
_"Yeah, but what about the triplets and Patton's sisters?"_ Dee countered.  
  
_"They're still underage,"_ Logan noted.  
  
_"Still seems like a lot of extra work? Should we help them?"_ Dee arched an eyebrow.  
  
_"I suppose we could offer,"_ Logan replied, and the three approached Patton's mother. Logan cleared his throat. _"Is there anything we can do to assist with the preparations, ma'am?"_  
  
Patton's mother smiled warmly. _"We're mostly set with the wedding area, but you could help set up the reception area?"_  
  
_"We'll do that,"_ Logan agreed, and he, Dee, and Virgil set off.  
  
_"Wait, Virgil,"_ Patton's mother said. Virgil stopped in his tracks, as did Logan and Dee. Virgil motioned for Logan and Dee to go ahead, and the two continued on their way.  
  
_"Patton's still getting ready, but he mentioned that he wanted to see you before the wedding starts. Maybe you could go see him in a half an hour or so?"_ Patton's mother suggested.  
  
Virgil nodded. Patton's mother beamed. _"Good! Thank you so much! You've been such a good friend to Patton over the years. He's always said such great things about you!"_  
  
Virgil managed a smile. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate the compliment, but it _did_ make him feel a bit put on the spot. "I hope I live up to what he's said?" Virgil said through his phone.  
  
_"Of course!"_ she beamed. _"Thank you again for yourself. Don't be surprised if Mabel tries to help you. She's been trying to help out every chance she gets!"_  
  
Sure enough, when Virgil approached Dee and Logan, a young girl of about ten or eleven was talking to Dee.  
  
_"Do it again! That was awesome!"_ she shouted, clapping her hands together.  
  
Dee lifted his wand at one of the chairs, whispering the incantion under his breath as he made it levitate upward. Then, after Dee whispered another incantation, it began to spin around in mid-air.  
  
Mabel grinned. _"What spell makes it spin? Junie told me about Wingardium Leviosa! I bet that's what makes it levitate, right?"_  
  
Dee blinked in surprise, but nodded.  
  
_"I bet you are looking forward to your first year at Hogwarts, aren't you?"_ Logan asked.  
  
Mabel grinned and nodded, glancing off toward her brothers. _"I think Toby needs my help with something. Nice talking to ya, though!"_  
  
And with that Mabel skipped off, much to Dee's chagrin.  
  
They continued to set up the chairs and tables in the reception area, also putting up a few of the decorations.  
  
_"We'll bring out the food later. Don't want it to sit out here and spoil during the wedding!"_ Patton's mother told them.

Virgil glanced at his watch to see what time it was. He still had a bit of time to kill until he was supposed to see Patton.  
  
_"Hey, long time no see,"_ a voice said from behind him. Though he looked very similar to his brothers, Virgil could tell that it was Toby. His hair was always a shade darker than August's and Seth's, and he also had a touch of black eyeliner on. He was also wearing a white tux, and Virgil remembered that the triplets were supposed to be wearing colors resembling the transgender pride flag.  
  
"Long time no see," Virgil responded via his text to speech program.  
  
Toby arched an eyebrow. _"That's new."_  
  
...oh yeah, he hadn't talked to Toby since the end of the school year, and it was already halfway though summer by the time Virgil started using the mobile phone and its associated text to speech program to communicate. "Yep, got it over the summer."  
  
_"Love it. Always nice to see wizards embracing Muggle tech. That's one of the few things that sucks about Hogwarts, that you can't use electronics there,"_ Toby lamented.  
  
"Doesn't the magic in the air interfere with the electricity or something?" Virgil asked.  
  
Toby let out a snort. _"Maybe. I mean, I'm not saying that's not the case, but I also wouldn't be surprised if it were all a lie."_  
  
"A lie?" Virgil frowned.  
  
_"To ban certain Muggle items from entering the halls of Hogwarts. It might 'corrupt the students' or some shit like that,"_ Toby shrugged.  
  
Virgil furrowed his brow.  
  
_"I mean we've seen all too well that a lot of the staff there isn't too keen on Muggleborns. Like...I don't want to sound mean, but you're pureblood so I'm not surprised you don't really understand,"_ Toby frowned.  
  
Virgil didn't know how to respond to that, so he didn't. He did, however, continue to listen.  
  
_"But...I mean, it's like in order for some of them to recognize that we belong at Hogwarts too, we have to completely assimilate and not even acknowledge that we had lives outside of wizarding society. Onve you're accepted into the wizarding world, that is where you belong, even if you feel like you belong in two places at once. You're not supposed to talk about that. You're just supposed to talk about how lacking your Muggle life was and how your magic life is soooo much better, and how thankful you are to have been accepted into the wizarding world where you truly belong. Those of us who don't do that are viewed as the exception rather than the rule,"_ Toby admitted.  
  
Virgil's eyes went wide. Toby wasn't wrong. As a pureblood, he wasn't exactly apt to notice things like that unless they were called to his attention.  
  
Lucky him.

_"Sorry, it's just...I have a lot on my mind right now,"_ Toby confessed.  
  
"You don't have to apologize for telling the truth," Virgil replied.  
  
Toby managed the slightest of smiles at that.  
  
"Is it anything I can help with?" Virgil wondered.  
  
Toby shook his head. _"Nah. It's not even really my place to talk about it. It's just...yeah, the wizarding world can be really unfair sometimes."_  
  
The older Virgil grew, the stronger he agreed with that sentiment.


	3. Chapter 3

As Virgil made his way into the house to meet with Patton, he could not help but continue to mull over what Toby told him.  
  
Toby undoubtedly had a point. Despite the fact that Muggleborn students weren't exactly _rare_, they were still treated like their Muggle heritage was a flaw that they were overcoming by attending a school for magic.  
  
Even Muggle Studies was considered a second rate class. Many pureblood students avoided it like the plague, and while there were undoubtedly _some_ students who actually cared for the class, it seemed like most of the students taking it were Muggleborns looking for an easy O.  
  
Even Virgil passed up the class while he was at Hogwarts, something that he felt foolish for doing now. Had he taken Muggle Studies, his eyes might have been open to the Muggle world sooner. He would have had a greater understanding of his best friend's upbringing, which was just as important a part of Patton's life as his life in the wizarding world.  
  
It was as Logan said to him in the past - he was not a simply a half blood wizard. He was a half wizard, half Muggle raised with one magic parent and one Muggle parent, and _each_ facet of his heritage played an important role in who he was.  
  
Virgil was so caught up in his thoughts that he nearly passed the door to the room that Patton's father informed him that Patton would be waiting in.  
  
Pausing briefly in front of the door, Virgil knocked and waited for Patton to answer.  
  
It took less than thirty seconds for the door to open and reveal a smiling Patton.  
  
Patton made the right choice in color, Virgil noted. Light blue looked _great_ on him, and would make a good contrast with the darker blue/indigo that Logan was wearing.  
  
"You look great," Virgil said through his phone.  
  
_"You're just saying that because it's my wedding day,"_ Patton replied with a wave of his hand, but continued to beam.  
  
"Maybe you should have worn yellow instead of Dee. You're glowing as bright as the sun right now," Virgil teased.  
  
_"I sure hope not! We didn't get enough sunglasses for everyone!"_ Patton snickered.  
  
Virgil was happy to see Patton so ecstatic. He and Roman deserved this after the trials and tribulations that they went through at the hands of Remus.  
  
He wasn't _entirely_ convinced that the day would be smooth sailing, but Virgil could not help but feel that it would be incredibly foolish to pull anything at such a large gathering.  
  
But then, they _did_ attack Hogsmeade during a Hogsmeade weekend...  
  
What Virgil needed to do was strike a balance. He didn't want to completely let his guard down, because that would be akin to _inviting_ something to go wrong. That said, he also did not want to spent the entire day _dwelling_ over it and miss what might possibly the best day of two of his friends' lives.

_"You don't think anything is going to go wrong, do you Virge?"_ Patton asked quietly.  
  
Virgil blanched. Was it really that obvious that he was worried? He'd hoped that it would go unnoticed, as he didn't want to put a damper on the day's festivities.  
  
A closer look at Patton made Virgil realize that Patton wasn't asking because he thought Virgil looked visibly uncomfortable. Patton still looked undeniably excited, but dancing from foot to foot wasn't something that Virgil saw Patton do often when he was excited. When he was _nervous_, however...  
  
"I don't think so," Virgil admitted. He was worried, of course, but it wasn't fair to foist his own concerns on to Patton's shoulder when his best friend already had so much to think about as it was.

Patton chewed on his bottom lip. _"It's just...I want everything to go perfect! This is supposed to be the best day of our lives!"_  
  
"That's setting the bar a bit low, isn't it?" Virgil replied.  
  
_"...what do you mean?"_ Patton frowned.  
  
"You're marrying Roman cause you love him, right?" Virgil asked.  
  
_"Well duh, of course!"_ Patton responded.  
  
"So why should your wedding be the best day of your life when you plan on spending the rest of your life with Roman?" Virgil pointed out.  
  
_"Huh...I never thought of it that way,"_ Patton realized.  
  
"Me neither, until just now," Virgil confessed.

_"Really?"_ Patton blinked in surprise, then giggled. _"Well for something you just thought of, it's not bad!"_  
  
Virgil was skeptical. "Did it make you feel better though?"  
  
_"Kinda?"_ Patton replied. _"I mean I'm still nervous but it did help some!"_  
  
Virgil had a feeling that that was the best that they could hope for in this circumstance. Perhaps Virgil shouldn't have mentioned that he came up with what he told Patton on the spot?  
  
Then again, that seemed to be the precise moment when Patton's tension eased the most and he actually managed a laugh, so Virgil didn't know _what_ to think.  
  
Either way, Patton seemed to be in a better mood now, so Virgil had to have done _something_ correct.

_"Do you think Roman's nervous too?"_ Patton wondered.  
  
"Duh, it's Roman," Virgil responded.  
  
Patton blinked back at him in puzzlement. Virgil snickered.  
  
"You know how much of a sappy romantic Roman is," Virgil reminded Patton. "You think you want things to go perfect? Roman wants them to go better than perfect."  
  
_"Well, I...we'll see how it goes, I guess. I hope I didn't make a mistake,"_ Patton frowned.  
  
That seemed odd; what sort of mistake was Patton talking about?  
  
There was a knock on the door. Patton opened it to find his father standing on the other side. _"Sorry to interrupt kiddo-"_  
  
So that was where Patton got it from.  
  
_"-but there's a young man here who said he's looking for you?"_ his father continued, stepping aside so that said young man could step into view.  
  
_"Glad you could make it, Phillip,"_ Patton told him with a smile.


	4. Chapter 4

Virgil stared at the figure in the doorway, his eyes wide. They only grew wider when Patton _ran up to the figure and threw his arms around him_.  
  
Virgil felt as if he'd been transported to an alternate dimension.  
  
Patton threw his arms around Phillip. _Phillip_, Roman's estranged brother. Phillip, Dee's old accomplice. Phillip, whose primary goal the last time they encountered him was to exact revenge on Roman for a crime he did not even commit.  
  
...Phillip, who _saved_ Roman during that same encounter once he learned the truth, then fled once they were free of the Prince household.  
  
Virgil wasn't present for this encounter, of course, but Roman filled them in on what happened. And Virgil still wasn't quite sure how to react to this.  
  
Patton, on the other hand, seemed to be _expecting_ this, which was, to Virgil, the biggest shock of all.

Phillip looked almost as uncomfortable as Virgil felt. Patton was really the only one who looked excited.  
  
_"I don't know if this is such a good idea,"_ Phillip admitted. _"The last time I saw my brother it...didn't exactly go well."_  
  
_"But you're here, aren't you?"_ Patton grinned.  
  
"Why is he here?" Virgil asked, eying Phillip warily.  
  
_"See? I shouldn't even be here,"_ Phillip muttered.  
  
_"Sure you do! You're Roman's brother!"_ Patton beamed.  
  
"So is Remus," Virgil pointed out.  
  
_"...yeah but Phillip isn't Remus. He's turned over a new leaf!"_ Patton said cheerily.  
  
Virgil couldn't argue with that - Phillip was by no means Remus, and that was already a step in the right direction.  
  
_"Who's Remus?"_ Phillip furrowed his brow in confusion.  
  
_"Roman's brother, of course!"_ Patton responded, as if that answered everything.  
  
_"Uh, so am I, and I don't know of anyone named Remus,"_ Phillip frowned.  
  
_"Oh right...wait, you didn't know about Remus either?"_ Patton blinked in surprise.  
  
"He's Roman's twin," Virgil told him.  
  
_"Yeah, he was sent to live with another family when he and Roman were little,"_ Patton elaborated.  
  
Phillip stared at both of them as if they had two heads.  
  
"Surprise?" Virgil remarked.  
  
_"...I..."_ Phillip proceeded to blurt out out the longest chain of swear words that Virgil heard since Renilda last confided in him about Lionel.  
  
Patton looked as if he might faint.  
  
_"Sorry, just had to get that out of my system,"_ Phillip told them.  
  
Patton nodded, looking as though he were feeling every regret in the world at once.  
  
_"I'm beginning to wonder if my parents ever told me a true thing in my life,"_ Phillip said with a shaky laugh, running his hand through his hair.  
  
"Join the club," Virgil noted, flashing Phillip a wry grin.  
  
_"They didn't tell you about Remus? You don't remember him either?"_ Patton frowned.  
  
_"Only a year older than Roman...and I guess this Remus guy too, remember?"_ Phillip pointed out.  
  
_"So if Remus was sent to live with the Dukes when they were young enough for Roman not to remember Remus, you weren't much older and thus don't remember either,"_ Patton realized.  
  
"Or maybe they were old enough to remember and Victoria and Edward found another way to avoid questions as to where Remus went," Virgil interjected with a stone-faced expression.

_"...what do you mean by that?"_ Phillip raised an eyebrow.  
  
Patton, on the other hand, gasped and covered his mouth with his hand.  
  
"Oh yeah, you and Dee were in Azkaban when Lionel turned me into his little stooge, weren't you?" Virgil recalled. The text to speech voice was as monotone as ever, but the bitter half smile on Virgil's face said it all.  
  
_"Lionel messed with Virgil's memories,"_ Patton summarized.  
  
_"...you're not suggesting..."_ Phillip stared at Virgil as if he had two heads.  
  
Virgil shrugged. "Doesn't seem all that farfetched, does it?"  
  
Phillip ran a hand through his hair, eyes as wide as could be. Virgil knew that Phillip couldn't possibly argue against a point like that.  
  
Then Phillip let out a shaky sigh. _"We...we can unbox all of that later. It's my little brother's wedding day and I want to see him."_  
  
_"That's just what I was hoping for you to say!"_ Patton grinned. _"I'd take you to him myself but I don't want Roman to see me before the ceremony!"_  
  
_"Why not?"_ Phillip blinked.  
  
_"Oh, it's an old Muggle thing. The groom isn't supposed to see the bride before the ceremony or it's bad luck! I know neither of us are brides, but...yeah. It still feels like the right thing to do."_ Patton nodded at the end of his statement as if to accentuate his point.  
  
Phillip shrugged as if to say 'suit yourself'.  
  
_"Virgil, would you mind taking Phillip to see Roman?"_ Patton wondered.  
  
"Wh-what?" Virgil spluttered. Phillip eyed him in concern. Virgil immediately knew why - he said this _out loud_ rather than through his phone.  
  
"Is that why you wanted me to come here?" Virgil stared.  
  
_"Golly gee, no!"_ Patton snickered. _"I needed a pick me up and you gave me one!"_  
  
_"Anxiety Thompson is giving pep talks now? Never thought I'd see the day,"_ Phillip chuckled.  
  
Virgil immediately tensed at the old nickname, though he tried his best to hide it.

He looked at Phillip. He _really_ didn't want to do this. He still wasn't sure how he felt about Phillip, and Patton was asking _him_ to take Phillip to Roman? The thought of walking somewhere _alone_ with Phillip, even if it wasn't that far...  
  
But he also didn't want to let Patton down, and Patton looked rather hopeful. It was clear that he wanted this to be a wonderful surprise for Roman, that he actually would have a family member at his wedding!  
  
The actual _day_ of the wedding didn't seem like the best day for such a surprise, but...Patton didn't always think things through as much as he should, and at least his heart was in the right place.  
  
Virgil sighed and looked down at his phone. He was surprised to find a message from Logan there, wondering where he was. Virgil began to explain what was going on to Logan, and that was when it hit him.  
  
He sent a text not only explaining that he was with Patton and a certain someone they hadn't seen in a while, but invited them to come along with him to Roman's dorm afterward.  
  
Virgil wouldn't have to go alone with someone he was _that_ wary of.  
  
"Logan and Dee will be here soon. Then we can go," Virgil notified Patton and Phillip.  
  
The fact that Phillip did not look disappointed about their additional guests lent credence to his stories, but Virgil wasn't going to drop his guard yet.


	5. Chapter 5

Virgil glanced up at the sound of a knock on the door. Patton went for the door, pulling it open to expose Logan and Dee. Dee was in his usual Adam Aceti disguise, thus Virgil wasn't surprised to see Phillip eyeing Logan and Dee in confusion.  
  
He turned to Virgil. _"I thought you said Deceit was coming?"_  
  
_"Oh, he got tied up in traffic and sent me in his place,"_ Dee replied with a smirk.  
  
Phillip frowned. _"Oh...I just thought..."_  
  
_"But you_ are _Dee, why are you pretending-OH!"_ Patton's eyes went comically wide as he realized Dee was screwing with Phillip.  
  
Phillip looked as confused as ever, and Virgil could not help but laugh.  
  
Even Logan had to let out a couple of chuckles as he shook his head. _"As you might have already discerned, this is Deceit. He is merely Polyjuiced and posing as Adam Aceti, an identity he adopted for use in public due to his fugitive status."_  
  
_"Love your disguise, Phillip. No one will figure out who you are while you're dressed like that!"_ Dee eyed him.  
  
_"I wasn't planning on looking like this when guests start to arrive,"_ Phillip argued. _"I brought a disguise with me!"_  
  
_"That won't be necessary,"_ Logan noted. _"We can allocate some of Dee's polyjuice to you."_  
  
_"Excuse me?"_ Dee gaped. _"Who do you think you are, offering up my potion like that?"_  
  
_"The one helping you to brew the potion at a regular basis?"_ Logan arched an eyebrow. _"You have ample supply of the potion, you can afford to spare a bit for your old friend so that he might attend his brother's wedding, could you not?"_  
  
Dee reached into a pocket of his tuxedo and retrieved a vial, which he handed to Phillip. _"Don't do anything that I wouldn't do,"_ he smirked.  
  
Phillip went to pry the stopper off of the vial, to which Dee let out a snort. _"That'll do you lots of good. Polyjuice works best when you haven't added hair of the person you wish to turn into."_  
  
Phillip frowned, eyeing the contents of the vial. _"...anyone have any hair that I could borrow?"_  
  
"Think we need to come up with a backstory first," Virgil pointed out.  
  
_"Is that something that we can do with Roman? I was really hoping to see him before the wedding,"_ Phillip told them.  
  
_"You still could see him, you'd just be in the guise of another person,"_ Logan reasoned.  
  
_"I don't want him to see me as another person when we first reunite. I want him to see me as me,"_ Phillip admitted.  
  
"We need to get moving, then," Virgil announced. The others turned to him. "Before the rest of the guests start coming."  
  
Virgil was relieved when they finally set off for the room they were told they could find Roman in. Thankfully, the house was still devoid of any wedding guests aside from themselves, the two grooms, and Patton's father.  
  
And Patton's father, a Muggle, wasn't exactly in the know when it came to wizarding fugitives, so Phillip did not have to worry there.  
  
Phillip observed Dee's appearance as they walked. _"You know, you totally look like that new Muggle Studies professor...what's his name? Professor Pirana? Pirani?"_  
  
_"Picani,"_ Dee corrected. _"And I can't imagine why you'd think that,"_ he added with a wry grin.

_"We use hair samples from Professor Picani in conjunction with a de-aging potion to generate the appearance that he is currently sporting,"_ Logan explained.  
  
Phillip looked as though he had even more questions, but then he took a closer look at Dee's face and frowned. _"Are the fake scars a part of the disguise too?"_  
  
Dee's grin fell at once, and Virgil immediately scrambled for his phone. Thankfully, he didn't have to use it in this instance, as Logan immediately jumped to Dee's defense as well.

_"Those scars are not fake,"_ Logan informed Phillip, who seemed to realize that he'd mistepped even before Logan explained.  
  
_"How?"_ Phillip managed to spit out after several seconds of silence.  
  
_"Do you know of the Fiendfyre Attack in Hogsmeade?"_ Deceit asked.  
  
_"...you were there? Holy shit,"_ Phillip blurted out.  
  
_"Your friend Delilah knew about it. She even hinted about it to Roman,"_ Logan noted, thankfully voicing one of Virgil's biggest concerns. It was more than a little difficult to type _and_ keep pace with the others.  
  
_"...calling Delilah a friend is grossly oversimplifying things, even before the big blow-up with my parents"_ Phillip made a face. _"We were acquaintances as best."_  
  
They approached a door. Supposedly, behind said door Roman was putting the finishing touches on his appearance for the ceremony.  
  
_"Would you like to do the honors?"_ Logan stepped aside to allow Phillip to step up to the door, and Virgil did similarly. Dee stood off to the other side, eyeing Phillip with an intrigued expression.  
  
Phillip approached the door and took a deep breath...  
  
...then did nothing. He continued to stare directly at the door ahead of him, as if it might swing open automatically under his gaze. He had no such luck, of course.  
  
Virgil could tell that Phillip was having second thoughts.  
  
Phillip took another deep breath, closing his eyes. He tapped his fist against the door and gave a few knocks, keeping his eyes as tightly shut as possible he did so. It was as if he _needed_ to close his eyes in order to build up the courage that he needed to knock on Roman's door.

_"Just a sec!"_ Roman called out. Phillip's eyes shot open at once. He looked nothing short of alarmed, and even began to back up and look around as if he were looking for a place to hide. Dee strode forward and gently nudged him back to the door just as Roman opened said door.

_"Gre-"_ Virgil assumed that Roman was about to say 'greetings', but Roman immediately fell silent upon taking in the sight of his estranged brother standing in his doorway on his wedding day.

Several seconds of silence passed before Roman managed to force some words out of his mouth._"Phillip?"_ Roman gaped.


	6. Chapter 6

The silence that ensued from this was palpable.  
  
Roman stared at Phillip. Phillip stared back. Virgil, Logan, and Dee all stood in wait, unsure what to say or do. Virgil didn not feel that it was their _place_ to say or do anything. This was a moment between Roman and Phillip, and if anything, Virgil felt as if he was witnessing something that really ought to be a private moment between Phillip and Roman.  
  
That said, Virgil could not bring himself to fully _trust_ Phillip at this point in time, so the thought of leaving Phillip alone with Roman made Virgil feel just as uneasy.  
  
Virgil watched with bated breath as Roman's hands slowly clenched into fists. He moved toward Phillip, raising one of his arms, and Virgil immediately moved forward, ready to step in if things got too heated -  
  
Roman threw said arm around Phillip in a one-armed hug, and Virgil deflated at once.  
  
Roman and Phillip stayed like that for at least a minute, until Roman pulled away. His hand clenched into a fist once more, but this time the fist _did_ make contact with Phillip.  
  
_"Jeez, what was that for?"_ Phillip blurted out, rubbing the area on his upper arm where Roman hit him.  
  
_"That's for running away and leaving me alone in the woods, you turd,"_ Roman glared, but then a small smile crept onto his features. _"I'm glad you could make it but...how did...what are you doing here? I didn't even know where...did you guys have something to do with this?!"_ Roman turned to Virgil, Logan, and Dee in surprise.  
  
Virgil immediately threw his hands up and waved them in a 'I had nothing to do with this' gesture. Dee let out a snort. Logan shook his head. _"Alas, we have nothing to do with Phillip's presence...well, aside from our being tasked to bring him to you just now."_

_"It was Patton,"_ Phillip confessed.  
  
_"...Patton?"_ Roman's eyes widened in surprise, then began to shimmer with tears.  
  
_"Roman?"_ Logan asked concernedly.  
  
Roman took a deep breath and blinked several times, letting out a shaky chuckle. _"No, I cannot cry, that will ruin my makeup-"_  
  
Virgil could not help but let out a snort at that.  
  
_"I can't believe...and after all that he's been through...he did this for me?"_ Roman gasped.  
  
Dee and Logan looked to Virgil, apparently expecting _him_ to have the answer as he spent more time with Patton just prior to their trip to see Roman. But he quickly realized that Patton did not divulge the details of how he got in touch with Phillip, and Virgil turned his gaze to the one person present who _could_ answer that question- Phillip himself.  
  
_"He sent an owl. It was dated from the beginning of summer but I received it a few weeks after that. I can only assume that the owl had a hard time finding me,"_ Phillip explained.  
  
_Patton's been working on this for longer than any of us thought, then,_ Virgil realized. He thought back to the conversation that he and Roman had shortly before Roman's disappearance, the conversation where Roman confessed his devastation that he would have no one from his family at his own wedding.  
  
Even then, Patton was working on ensuring that this wouldn't be the case, and neither Virgil nor Roman were any the wiser.  
  
_"I didn't respond until a couple of weeks ago,"_ Phillip admitted. _"I wasn't sure...I wasn't sure if I should go. This is your big day, and I wasn't even sure if you'd want me here...."_  
  
_"Of course I want you here!"_ Roman blurted out.  
  
_"Really?"_ Phillip stared back, looking incredulous.  
  
_"You're the one person in our family, aside from myself, who seems halfway decent!"_ Roman assured him.  
  
_"Because that's not a low bar at all,"_ Dee whispered, and Virgil had to bite down hard on his lip to keep himself from laughing.  
  
_"I've wanted this for a long time, from the moment you helped me to escape our childhood home. You...you ran off, and I was afraid to go after you, because...because I was afraid that anything we might say or do if I did might erase any of the progress we made and...dammit, you're the only one that I have made any progress with in our God-forsaken family!"_ Roman continued.  
  
Phillip began to laugh. Virgil immediately turned to the elder of the two brothers, narrowing his eyes and slipping his hand into his pocket. His hand closed tightly around his wand. He was ready to act at any moment, if Phillip so much as _threatened_ Roman...  
  
_"You too? Merlin, we both suck at this,"_ Phillip chortled.  
  
Virgil sighed in relief, loosening his grip on his wand, but still keeping a close eye on Phillip just in case.  
  
Old habits die hard, and _someone_ had to stay on guard.  
  
_"I didn't think you'd want me around,"_ Phillip confessed.  
  
_"Where'd you get a bird brained idea like that? I literally told you I would - did - do!"_ Roman huffed.  
  
_"Yeah, but I thought that was a heat of the moment thing and that it'd pass after the adrenaline wore off,"_ Phillip shrugged. _"But then I got that letter from your fiance and it got me to thinking, and then I met up with him and he was so sincere-"_  
  
"Patton met up with you? Alone?" Virgil said through his text to speech program, his eyes wide.  
  
Phillip nodded.  
  
_"...we're going to need to have a talk with him about this,"_ Logan noted. Virgil nodded in agreement. It worked out this time, but what if Patton did the same thing with _Remus_?  
  
The thought sent a shiver down Virgil's spine.  
  
_"He told me that he thought this would make you happy, and he really wanted your wedding day to be the best that it could be, and if that meant coming...well, I didn't want to let you down any more than I already have. I mean, I accused you of...and it was actually our..."_ Phillip scowled.  
  
_"None of that matters. What does matter is that you are here now,"_ Roman smiled. _"There is one thing that still bothers me, though."_

Phillip furrowed his brown in confusion.

_"How am I ever going to repay Patton for this?"_

_"Oh, I'm sure you'll think of something," _Logan responded with a chuckle.


	7. Chapter 7

Virgil resolved to keep a close eye on Phillip for the rest of the ceremony. It wasn't that he didn't believe that Phillip turned over a new leaf...

...he just couldn't bring himself to drop his guard down this early in the game. He would kick himself if this turned out to be a trap and he didn't see it coming.

The fact that he thought it might be a trap, though, meant that it probably _wasn't_ a trap...but the fact that he was even thinking along those lines might mean that it was a trap, and that he was allowing himself to fall into a false sense of security...

_Seriously dude, get a grip,_ Virgil thought to himself. He could remain on guard without _ruining_ the entire day for himself. He just...needed to get off the subject somehow (but not so far off the subject that he completely dropped his guard...and there he went again).

Phillip decided to pose as Roman's estranged cousin. He and Roman worked out the details, and Phillip opted to add one of _Roman's_ hairs to the potion, turning Phillip into an exact copy of Roman.

This was something that unnerved Roman far more than he expected, as he realized that he'd encountered this phenomenon once before, and that encounter _wasn't_ at the hands of Polyjuice, and Remus was _still out there_, and...

_"Look away for a moment,"_ Logan instructed. Roman did so. _"Dee, go ahead."_

Roman wasn't entirely certain what Dee was doing, but Roman could hear Dee uttering multiple incantations behind him.

_"Alright, Roman, you may look,"_ Logan told him.

The effect turned out surprisingly well. Phillip still looked similar to Roman, but his appearance was altered enough so that he did not look like an exact copy. Nor did he look like _himself_, which was the most important part. They did not want the Ministry to come crashing the wedding.

Which meant that Virgil had to memorize Phillip's _new_ appearance to keep an eye on him, but he was doing his best. It also helped that Dee opted to stick close to him, whether it be to keep a close eye on his old friend or to catch up with him (or both).

By now, other guests were beginning to arrive. Their friends, of course, were some of the first to arrive. Era, Chelsea, and Astrit arrived together, followed shortly thereafter by Paige. Elliott and Shane turned up not too long after that, and Virgil was impressed.

Virgil had his doubts as to whether _anyone_ would be able to pull off the orange tux, but Shane did it well. Elliott looked absolutely _stunning_ in the black dress that they wore, and the knowledge that Ellliot designed and crafted the dress themself made it even more impressive.

Renilda and Professor Picani were making their rounds, Renata cooing happily in her father's arms. Virgil and Logan spoke with them for a short period of time before making their way toward a less populated area.

Along with Renilda and Professor Picani, other parental figures on the guest list included Tara and Armand Dicax, as well as Era and Astrit's father and Astrit's mother.

There were also several people about that bore a passing resemblance to Patton, his parents, and/or his siblings, leading Virgil to believe that these were members of Patton's extended family.

Virgil tried to stay away from most of the hustle and bustle. There was just...a _lot_ of it. Logan agreed, and the two stood off to the side, occasionally making comments or small talk with one another.

_"If we ever get married, I would prefer that we do something small as opposed to this absurdity,"_ Logan noted.

A small smile crossed Virgil's features. "Me too. But for what it's worth, this suits Patton and Roman perfectly."

_"That I agree with. Do not misunderstand me, I am happy for them. It's just that this..."_ Logan gestured to the growing hubbub. He seemed to be looking for the right words to state what he wished to say.

"Is a lot?" Virgil finished Logan's sentence, grinning as he pressed play.

_"...yes. A succinct and accurate analysis,"_ Logan nodded his agreement.

Virgil blanched when he saw one of the guests, immediately stepping behind Logan in an attempt to hide himself.

_"...did you see someone that you do not wish to see?"_ Logan guessed.

"The very embodiment of 'a lot'," Virgil replied, then pointed in the direction of the person in question.

_"Surely that's an overstate-"_ Logan trailed off after his gaze fell upon the person Virgil was pointing to. _"I stand corrected."_

Remy was chatting animatedly with Renilda and Professor Picani.

"Let's go find another corner to hide in. I don't think I can handle Remy right now," Virgil confessed.

He loved his cousin, he did, but Remy was a lot even when Virgil _wasn't_ already stretched thin, and he certainly was stretched thin at the moment!

Logan glanced down at his watch. _"Given what time it is, I presume that the ceremony is soon to be under way. Did Patton or Roman mention who would be officiating?"_

"Patton's dad is," Virgil replied. "And it looks like everyone's starting to find seats."

Virgil rubbed his hands together, trying to calm himself. He could already feel himself beginning to grow a bit shaky.

The last thing he needed was to have a panic attack before his best friend's wedding even started. He did a few breathing exercises in an attempt to calm himself.

_"I believe it's time for us to head up?"_ Logan told him. Virgil's stomach did a somersault, but...but he reminded himself that Logan would be walking beside him, at least, as Roman's best man. As the two best men were supposed to walk together...this worked out well for soothing Virgil's nerves.

The more people sat, the more it sunk in. This was _actually happening_. Patton and Roman were about to be married.


	8. Chapter 8

The walk was indeed easier with Logan by his side. Virgil had a hard time paying attention to _everything_ that was happening, every custom the other wedding participants participated in, and frankly he didn't want to pay too much attention to the people in the stands because he was afraid that he would lose his nerve.  
  
And it probably wouldn't look good for one of the best men to bolt off the stage just before the ceremony.  
  
Roman was already there, and he was positively _beaming_. Virgil could not help but smile at the sight.  
  
_"I have a question,"_ Shane, one of Patton's other groomsmen, whispered beside Virgil. Virgil turned to him in curiosity, trying to block out the section of the audience that came into view just behind Shane as he did so.  
  
"Hmmm?" Virgil hummed.  
  
_"So usually the father of the bride walks the bride in, right? I mean obviously we don't have a bride here so I know things are a little bit different, but Patton seems to be doing a lot of the stuff the bride does in the wedding,"_ Shane continued.  
  
Virgil nodded, hoping that this would be signal enough for Shane to continue.  
  
_"Patton's dad can't walk him in, he's standing right there!"_ Shane nodded in the direction of Patton's father. _"So if he's not, then who is?"_  
  
Virgil watched as the flower girl, apparently one of Patton's little cousins, finished what she was doing.  
  
Music began to play, and Virgil jolted in surprise at the suddenness of it. Patton walked into view with his _mother_ by his side. Patton was positively glowing, and Virgil could not help but think that Patton and Roman very much _deserved_ this after everything they'd been through lately.  
  
Patton walked hand in hand with his mother up to the stage, his mother soon taking her seat in the front row.  
  
_"Good day, everyone!"_ Patton's father's voice boomed out, and Virgil startled once more. He was surprised to see that Patton's father did not have a microphone, and as a Muggle he rather doubted that he was using a Sonorus Charm.  
  
He just had a voice that could naturally carry like that. Impressive!  
  
_"We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Roman Prince and Patton Wright in marriage. Their love is one to be admired, and I know that you all will join me in wishing them a wonderful and happy life together with one another,"_ he announced.  
  
He continued on, though Virgil was more focused on Patton and Roman at this time than he was on what Patton's father was saying. Patton and Roman looked as though they had eyes for only each other, and Virgil almost wondered if Patton and Roman were even paying attention to what Patton's father was saying, or if they were too busy lost in each other's eyes.  
  
Virgil could not help _but_ pay attention when the time came for vows, however, and not just because Patton's father cleared his throat just before beginning. Patton and Roman placed their hands in one another. _"Do you, Roman, take Patton to be your partner in life, to support and respect him in his successes as well as his failures, to care for him in sickness and in health, and to grow with him throughout the seasons of your life together?"_  
  
_"Do I?!"_ Roman blurted out, huge grin on his face. A number of people began to chuckle, and even Virgil could not help but smile. He had a feeling that Roman did this on purpose, to lighten up the atmosphere a little, and Virgil was grateful for the effect.  
  
Roman cleared his throat. _"I mean yes, I do,"_ he smiled, giving Patton's hands a squeeze.  
  
_"Very well,"_ Patton's father said with a knowing wink toward Roman that led Virgil to believe that Roman, Patton's father, and possibly even Patton planned Roman's 'accidental' slip of the tongue.  
  
Patton's father turned to his son. _"Do you, Patton, take Roman to be your partner in life, to support and respect him in his successes as well as his failures, to care for him in sickness and in health, and to grow with him throughout the seasons of your life together?"_  
  
_"You betcha!"_ Patton answered, and this was followed by another chorus of chuckles.  
  
Leave it to Patton and Roman to want to spruce up their vows a bit.  
  
_"Then by the power vested in me, I pronounce you husbands! You may now seal your love with a kiss!"_ Patton's father announced.

Patton leaned in to kiss Roman on the lips, but Roman opted to dip him downward in a romantic pose. Patton giggled at this display. Roman leaned down to give Patton a kiss, and Patton leaned up slightly to meet his husband's lips with his own.  
  
Leave it to Patton and Roman to even put their own spin on the _kiss_.  
  
Cheering and clapping erupted from the guests almost immediately after the two grooms' lips touched, and Virgil, Logan, and the other groomsmen soon joined in. There was even a loud whistle that Virgil suspected might have originated from one of Patton's uncles.  
  
Virgil searched through the crowd in an attempt to find the one person he was looking for, all without paying too much heed to everyone else standing out there gazing in his general direction (_they're looking at Patton and Roman, not you_ Virgil reminded himself)...ah, _there_ Phillip was, standing directly beside Dee. His face shone with pride as he clapped fervently, and Virgil could not help but feel happy that Roman got what he wanted but thought he would never actually get - a family member who not only supported him, but attended his wedding.  
  
Of course, Virgil didn't completely trust Phillip. Not yet at least. It would take a considerable amount of time before he reached that point, if he _ever_ did. It took him a while to trust Dee after all, and Dee was his own _brother_.  
  
Though one could also argue that it was harder for Virgil to trust Dee _because_ Dee was his brother and he knew of Dee's past transgressions quite well.  
  
...but Phillip was doing a hell of a job thus far, and Virgil had to acknowledge that much.


	9. Chapter 9

In some ways, the reception was easier to cope with that the lead-up to the wedding. In other ways, it was more difficult.  
  
Now that Patton's extended family recognized him as Patton's best man, several of them stopped by and introduced themselves. Remy and his boyfriend also found them, though Remy seemed to take pity on Virgil's frazzled state and wasn't _too_ over the top.  
  
Of course, his boyfriend's presence might have helped as well.  
  
Virgil wasn't a fan of all of the socializing, but he found that he was in the best position to handle it. He was seated, so he need not worry about his legs collapsing beneath him when his knees grew shaky and weak. He did not have to concern himself with _steadying_ himself if he began to feel lightheaded. He could even bounced his leg up and down beneath the table and none of his guests would be any the wiser.  
  
Hopefully.  
  
One of Patton's aunts was in the process of heading away from the table, and Virgil heaved out a shaky sigh. Logan took Virgil's hand into his and gave it a squeeze.  
  
Virgil gave a slight smile and typed on his phone with his free hand. It took a bit longer than it would if he had both of his hands free, but he'd much rather keep his _other_ hand in Logan's for the time being. "Thanks, Lo."  
  
_"Heeeeey, how's it hanging?"_ Shane slid in to one of the chairs at Virgil and Logan's otherwise empty table.  
  
_"...is it alright if we sit here?"_ Elliott asked, a bit more hesitant to just _plop down_ than Shane was. Virgil could respect that.  
  
_"It is,"_ Logan replied, gesturing for Elliott to have a seat. _"I was told you made your own dress for the occasion?"_ he asked once Elliott was situated in their seat.  
  
_"I did. It took me a while but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out,"_ Elliott shrugged.  
  
"It looks good," Virgil agreed. "Like the orange tux, Shane."  
  
_"Thanks! You know, I really love the rainbow tux idea that Patton and Roman had! It's super creative!"_ Shane grinned.  
  
_"It's cool that August, Seth, and Toby did their own thing with the trans flag colors,"_ Elliott observed.  
  
_"Yeah, I'm sure that'll look great in the pictures!"_ Shane replied.  
  
_"Pictures?"_ Elliott looked to Shane in confusion.  
  
_"Yeah, pictures! I heard Patton and Roman saying earlier that they wanted pictures of all of us in our tuxes!"_ Shane announced.

Virgil let go of Logan's hand and slumped down in his chair, gradually sliding out of it and onto the floor beneath the table.  
  
_"That's a mood,"_ Elliott laughed. _"Got room for one more under there, Virgil?"_  
  
_"Oh come on, it's not that bad!"_ Shane protested.  
  
_"It is if you don't like the way you look in any of your pictures,"_ Elliott replied.  
  
"Or if you don't like the way you look period," Virgil added.  
  
_"Don't let Patton catch you saying that,"_ Shane warned him.  
  
_"Don't let me catch you saying what?"_ Patton's voice joined the fray.  
  
Virgil stayed under the table, bringing his knees close to him and resting his chin atop them. He had a feeling he'd be hiding out under here for a while-  
  
_"Virgil's hiding under the table,"_ Shane explained.  
  
\- or not.  
  
Patton moved into a crouching position and peeked under the table. _"Hey kiddo, what are you doing hiding out down here? We can't take pictures without you!"_  
  
"That's kind of the idea," Virgil admitted.  
  
_"We need our purple! Rainbows don't end at indigo!"_ Roman chimed in.  
  
Virgil grumbled into his knees in response.  
  
_"It it makes you feel better, with Muggle cameras we can see how the pictures look right away and keep taking pictures until we get good ones!"_ Patton assured him.  
  
_"We are taking wizard style pictures too, aren't we?"_ Roman frowned.  
  
_"We are,"_ Patton confirmed. _"But we'll take several pictures even then, just to make sure we have enough good pictures to outweigh any bad ones!"_  
  
"You guys won't leave me alone until I do it, will you?" Virgil said through his text to speech program, one corner of his mouth twitching upward to form a half smile. He knew that was the case, which meant that he ought to either play along or he'd be dragged out from beneath the table by Patton or Roman. And as being dragged out from under a table would garner even more unwanted attentions (not to mention a _lot_ of questions), Virgil crawled out on his own.  
  
Patton clapped his hands together excitedly. _"Yay! Now we just need to get Chelsea, Dee, and the triplets and we'll be set!"_  
  
...okay, crawling out from beneath the table was _worth_ it, just to see how excited his best friend was.

It didn't take long for them to hunt down the people in question. Dee especially stood out in his yellow tuxedo, and there weren't many people wearing green either. At least the shade of purple that Virgil was wearing wasn't as attention grabbing as _that_.

It was a departure from the black and white that most of the guests were wearing, but at least it was still a fairly dark color.  
  
The triplets were also fairly easy to find, especially since light blue and pink stood out as much as _yellow_. The triplets were also together, which meant that a quick scan of the crowd for the trans flag colors allowed them to spot the trio almost right away.  
  
Virgil took a deep breath. They were really doing this, then. He shot a look over at Logan, who looked far more calm and put together than Virgil did, and Virgil wasn't sure if that made him feel better or worse.  
  
Then Logan adjusted his tie and cleared his throat, and Virgil could not help but smile as he realized that he wasn't the only one nervous about the pictures.


	10. Chapter 10

Coming soonVirgil wondered if it was possible for one's mouth to start hurting from smiling too much.  
  
It would be easier if these were genuine smiles, but smiling for a _camera_ was another story entirely.  
  
And it wasn't just the two cameras that Patton initially mentioned either.  
  
Many friends and family members alike wanted to take pictures of the two groups once they saw the group posing for the first couple of pictures and of course they had to be _polite_ and pose for these pictures too, because they didn't want to be rude.  
  
And, sometimes, it came down to a lot more than just turning to the next camera and smiling. Another of Patton's relatives (he was starting to see why Patton was so bubbly and outgoing; he almost _had_ to be in a family like this) was apparently a photographer in the Muggle world, and she spent what felt like a half an hour asking them to adjust their stances or smooth out their hair so that she could get the _perfect_ picture. She even called Virgil out for not smiling enough in one picture.  
  
_"Come on, big smiles from everyone! That includes the young man in the purple tuxedo!"_ she called out.  
  
Virgil forced the biggest smile he could muster onto his face, bearing his teeth, and Patton's great aunt grimaced. _"Alright, go back to what you were doing before."_  
  
Virgil happily obliged.  
  
They left the wizarding pictures for last, as most of the guests were Muggles. Not that it made much difference, as the camera _itself_ was not much different than a Muggle camera (aside from being a bit antiquated in comparison), but they needed to keep these pictures separate so that they could develop them in the proper potion to generate the moving pictures that were so common in the wizarding world.  
  
By that point, Junie and Mabel made their way over to the group and wanted _their_ pictures taken too.  
  
_"By the magic camera!"_ Mabel insisted, though Junie shushed her and told her not to say that too loudly or their relatives might overhear.  
  
It was eventually arranged that Roman would take a couple of pictures of Patton and all five of his siblings. At one point Patton stepped forward and lightly pulled Roman into the picture.  
  
_"What are you doing? I haven't taken the picture yet, and this was supposed to be my best one yet!"_  
  
_"Oh, I planned on it. Now, Era!"_ Patton giggled. Era stepped behind the camera and snapped a picture of the newlyweds and the rest of Patton's siblings.  
  
_"What was that for?"_ Roman frowned.  
  
_"We wanted to have everyone in the family in the picture!"_ Patton smiled, giving Roman a peck on the lips.  
  
A brief look of confusion passed over Roman's features before a look of realization overtook it.  
  
'Everyone in the family.' Now that Patton and Roman were married, that meant _Roman_ now. Roman let out a jovial chuckle before kissing Patton back in return.

From there, it became clear that they were _finally_ finished with pictures, for the time being at least. Virgil let out a sigh of relief. Finally, he could _relax_.  
  
Or get as close to a relaxed state as he could, at any rate.  
  
As Roman and Patton were busy playing kissing face and chatting with the triplets, Logan decided to set to work taking down the camera they used for the pictures that would be developed in the potion.  
  
Mabel hung nearby, asking Logan questions about the camera and the potion. Logan was happy to answer, and seemed to enjoy how eager Mabel was to learn.  
  
_"I know that the decision ultimately rests upon you, and the beginning of the school year is still a number of weeks off, but I feel that you would be a delightful addition to the Ravenclaw House when you begin Hogwarts,"_ Logan told her.  
  
Mabel's smile fell. _"Yeah. Yeah, I'll...I'll think about that,"_ she replied, her tone lacking the enthusiasm that in contained just seconds before.

_"Are you alright?"_ Logan inquired.  
  
_"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine,"_ Mabel responded, sounding distracted and not at _all_ fine. Before Logan or Virgil could say anything about this, though, Mabel was on her way over to talk to one of her relatives.  
  
"This is the second time that's happened," Virgil pointed out.  
  
_"I'm glad that I am not the only one who made that observation,"_ Logan replied.

Logan waited until Patton was less occupied (and there were fewer people in the immediate area), then set to work at solving the mystery. _"Is something troubling your youngest sister?"_  
  
Patton blinked in surprise. _"Troubling her? What makes you ask?"_  
  
_"Any time we approach a certain subject, she will go silent and flee the conversation as quickly as she can, often by spotting a relative in the distance and heading off to join them,"_ Logan explained.  
  
Comprehension dawned on Patton's face. _"Oh. That. Yeah, I think I may know what that's about,"_ Patton admitted.

Patton glanced over at Mabel, who was now in a conversation with one of Patton's cousins of a similar age to her. He chewed on his bottom lip, and Virgil had a feeling that Patton was mulling over whether or not to divulge what he knew.  
  
He glanced around, as if to be certain that no one other than Virgil, Logan, and Roman were nearby, then lowered his voice to a whisper. _"Mabel never received her Hogwarts letter."_


	11. Chapter 11

Virgil's eyes went wide. Didn't receive her Hogwarts letter? Did he hear that correctly?  
  
_"Intriguing,"_ Logan observed.  
  
_"Intriguing isn't the word I'd use,"_ Roman frowned. _"Sad, perhaps, or even devastating."_  
  
_"I do not doubt that Mabel feels all of those emotions, and I certainly sympathize. However, I still must admit that I find this intriguing,"_ Logan admitted.  
  
"How so?" Virgil wondered.  
  
_"She has five siblings who have magic,"_ Logan noted.  
  
_"...and?"_ Roman blinked. _"That just makes it more devastating if you ask me."_  
  
_"I find it odd,"_ Logan continued.  
  
_"Why do you find it odd, Logan?"_ Patton asked, eying Logan with a concerned expression.  
  
_"From what I understand, five Muggleborn siblings with magic and one without magic is almost unheard of,"_ Logan explained.  
  
_"What are you talking about? They're rare, but non-magic children do appear in wizarding families sometimes,"_ Roman pointed out.  
  
_"Exactly. Squibs are an occurence within wizarding families. The opposite is true of Muggle families,"_ Logan replied.  
  
_"Isn't that what we're seeing?"_ Patton wondered. _"Five magic kids and one non magic kid in a Muggleborn family?"_  
  
Logan shook his head. _"By opposite, I mean that in the case of Muggleborns, there is often only one child within a multiple-child family who turns out to possess magic. There are certainly cases where multiple Muggleborn children within one family possess magic, and I do not wish to discount that. Even in those cases, however, it is more likely that perhaps two or three children will possess magic. Not five out of six children."_  
  
Roman eyed Logan. _"What are you saying?"_  
  
_"I'm saying that Mabel being the only child in a family of six children to lack magic is a phenomenon that is far more commonly found within a wizarding family as opposed to a Muggleborn family, and I find that interesting,"_ Logan told them.  
  
There was a considerable silence after this, as Logan's words sunk in.  
  
"What does that mean, though?" Virgil asked Logan.  
  
_"I'm not certain,"_ Logan admitted, stroking his chin. He turned to Patton. _"Are you certain that there are no magic ancestors within your family?"_  
  
_"I think so?"_ Patton blinked in surprise.

Roman eyed Logan. _"Where are you going with this, Specs?"_  
  
_"I believe I already stated 'where I was going', so to speak? The magic within Patton's family bears more similarities to a magic household than a Muggle household,"_ Logan summarized.  
  
_"But both of Patton's parents are Muggles. That pretty much nixes that, doesn't it?"_ Roman arched an eyebrow.  
  
_"One would think,"_ Logan frowned. _"Yet I am still puzzled. I may have to do some research into wizarding genealogy."_  
  
_"You have fun with that, Logan. In the meantime I believe there is a little lady in need of some cheering up. Come on, Patton, let's go comfort your sister! Onward!"_ Roman announced. Patton giggled and took his husband's hand as the two set off after Mabel.  
  
Virgil glanced at Logan while letting out a shaky sigh. He expected the pictures to be stressful. He didn't expect what unfolded afterward.  
  
Mabel never received her Hogwarts letter. Virgil could scarcely imagine...  
  
...well, no, that was a lie.  
  
Virgil could imagine what that might feel like all too well. Ultimately, Virgil _did_ receive his Hogwarts letter, of course, but there were moments when Virgil feared that it wouldn't happen.

\------------------------

  
_"Father said that if you don't start showing magic soon, you won't show magic at all," Lionel taunted Virgil, a wicked grin on the eight year old's face._  
  
_"Nuh-uh, mummy said I should start showing my magic any day now," Virgil argued back._  
  
_ Lionel snickered. "Let's hope so. I don't think either of them would be too happy with a squib! I know father wouldn't be. He made that pretty clear!"_  
  
_ Some of the color drained from seven year old Virgil's face. He didn't know what a squib was, but it didn't sound good. "What's a squib?" he asked his older brother._  
  
_ "A wizard who can't do magic," Lionel replied._  
  
_ "But that doesn't make any sense," Virgil frowned._  
  
_ "Exactly! But some wizards are born without magic! And father said that if you don't show magic by the time you're seven, your chances of being a squib are pretty high. You've never done any magic," Lionel pointed out._

_"I have too!" Virgil argued. He hadn't, but he was already fearful about what would happen if he admitted as much. Lionel told him that their father wouldn't approve, and Virgil believed it. He knew how incredibly important magic was to his father, and it already seemed like nothing Virgil could do would please him._  
  
_ ...maybe that was why. Maybe Virgil didn't have magic. Maybe Father knew that, and that was why he never liked Virgil as much as he did Lionel._  
  
_ At least mum was understanding and kind, but he was certain that she, too, expected him to have magic and would be disappointed if he didn't. She didn't say as much, unlike Father, but...well, they were a family of wizards. If Virgil turned out to be something other than a wizard, what would that say about him?_  
  
_ Thus it was best to pretend that he'd already showed magic. Then they wouldn't be upset with him._  
  
_ "Prove it, then," Lionel smirked. "Prove you can do magic right now."_  
  
_ Virgil gulped. How in the world was he supposed to do that? And what would happen when Lionel found out that he was lying?_

_More importantly, what would Father do?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's your occasional reminder that Linus Thompson was an ass?


	12. Chapter 12

_Virgil stood completely still, his eyes wide. He wanted to run away, but he knew that if he tried that, Lionel would catch him and then go running to tell Father. And if he ran away, he'd prove that Lionel was right - He couldn't do magic.  
  
Not that he fared much better in his current situation. "You can't, can you?" Lionel beamed triumphantly. "You can't prove it because you can't do magic!"  
  
"Neither can you!" Virgil snapped before he could stop himself.  
  
"...what did you just say?" Lionel narrowed his eyes.  
  
"You can't do magic right now either!" Virgil argued. His heart was pounding and his hear was spinning. "If you can, then prove it!"  
  
Virgil was pleased to see that Lionel looked taken aback...for all of five seconds. It was at that point that Lionel began to laugh. "I asked you to prove it first! So prove you can do magic, and then I'll prove I can do magic!" Lionel shot back.  
  
All of the fight seemed to leave Virgil at those words. "I..."  
  
"You can't, can you?" Lionel taunted, a huge grin on his face.  
  
Well he certainly couldn't with Lionel _pestering_ him about it constantly!_  
  
"You're a squib, you're a squib!" Lionel jeered in a sing song voice.  
  
"LIONEL DANTE THOMPSON!" Lionel froze at once at the sound of their mother's voice.  
  
As wonderful as it was to see this, it didn't make Virgil feel much better, because he was sure that his life was over. Lionel would tell Mum that Virgil couldn't do magic, then Virgil would be sent to live with the Muggles-  
  
"Just what is going on here?" Mum frowned, arms folded across her chest.  
  
"Virgil can't do magic!" Lionel pointed out. Virgil wished he could sink through the floor.  
  
A brief look of concern passed over Mum's features as she glanced at Virgil, but then she cast him a comforting smile. "That's because Virgil is only seven. He still has time."  
  
"Father said that all wizards show they have magic by the time they're seven, though!" Lionel argued.  
  
"Most do," Mum admitted, and Virgil felt as if someone dunked him in cold water. "But not all of them, and I won't have you talking to your brother in that way. Now apologize to Virgil."  
  
Lionel let out a huff. "I'm sorry Virgil." He muttered. Virgil noticed he crossed his fingers as he did so.  
  
But why bother pointing it out when Lionel was probably right? Most wizards showcased magic by seven. He was seven and had yet to do so. His mother was kind, but surely even she'd get tired of waiting soon...

\------------------------  
  
_"Are you alright, Virgil? You've been staring out that window an awfully long time,"_ Logan's voice broke through Virgil's thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm-" Virgil started to say, but stopped for two reasons. The first was that his voice cracked, thus belying that he was _not_ as 'alright' as he proclaimed.  
  
He also began to answer _out loud_, and it wasn't as if that would do much good. Logan wouldn't even be able to understand what he was saying.  
  
"Just thinking," Virgil told Logan with a shrug, this time saying it through his usual means. Logan did not look entirely convinced, but mercifully let the subject drop.  
  
Virgil and Logan were back in their room at Renilda's flat. They hoped to move out once they had a bit of money saved from their new jobs, not wanting to impose on Renilda for too much longer. The house was already full as it was, and as Renata grew older she would need her own room. And that was if Renilda and Professor Picani had no shared children other than Renata. If they wanted to build an even larger family, they would need all of the room they could get!  
  
But in the meantime, their room was currently the epicenter of a massive research project that Logan was in the process of undertaking. Books were scattered this way and that, all of them centering around a single subject or theme.  
  
(It was like every other Tuesday, in other words.)  
  
This time, the theme was wizarding genetics.  
  
There was less available on the subject than Logan would have liked, and he made his views on this clear to Virgil several times already.  
  
_"Even some of the books that do touch upon inheritance of magic are woefully basic in their knowledge. I have only found one book thus far that even mentions the word 'gene', and it's only in passing,"_ Logan ranted.

"It's not really something discussed much in the wizarding world," Virgil admitted.  
  
_"Not even within pureblood circles?"_ Logan arched a brow.  
  
Virgil let out a snort at that. "_Especially_ not in pureblood circles."  
  
Logan nodded. _"I suspected as much. I actually find it rather amusing."_  
  
"Hmmm?"

_"For a group so impossibly obsessed with tracking one's heritage and segregating one's place within society on the basis of this, their knowledge of related subject matter is woefully dismal, and it's all a result of their own unfortunate bias,"_ Logan admitted with a satisfied smirk. Virgil had to admit that Logan had a point, though he wondered where Logan was going with this.

_"I suppose the best thing to do in this instance would be to interview the members of Patton's family one by one. Perhaps we could even get them to agree to genetic testing, at which point we may be able to isolate which genes factor into one's ability to utilize magic. Based on my research, I don't believe anyone has ever attempted this before. We would be the first,"_ Logan grinned. _"Who knows, we may even make discoveries that change the course of wizarding history!"_  
  
Virgil hadn't seen him this excited about a subject since they obtained their jobs at the planetarium. That said, what Logam was suggesting...it didn't entirely sit well with him. "I dunno, it seems awfully personal?"  
  
Logan deflated somewhat at that, and Virgil immediately felt guilty. Logan seemed to consider Virgil's words for a moment, then presented his response. _"I recognize your concern, Virgil, but we would be asking our participants for permission first. The participants do not have to provide any information and/or genetic material without agreeing to do so first."_  
  
Virgil let out a sigh. He knew then that Logan wasn't going to let this go, and while he still had some misgivings...he couldn't think of much else to say. Logan did a _great_ job of arguing his point.  
  
"Okay," Virgil responded at last. "It's worth a shot."


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for detailed mentions of PTSD symptoms in this. Please read with caution, or feel free to skip if you feel that it might be too much for you.

Now that Patton and Roman were married, they attempted to move back into their home. They could only impede on Patton's family's hospitality for so long, and Patton's family already offered a _lot_ of help when it came to the wedding, up to and including providing the venue.  
  
They threw a housewarming party in celebration. Everyone in their friend group attended. Even Phillip decided to drop by, wanting to check out his little brother's new place.  
  
_"It's technically not a new place, though,"_ Logan pointed out.  
  
Virgil shrugged. "It is new to him." He was nevertheless happy for Patton and Roman. They deserved their happiness after everything that they'd been through.

Indeed, it looked as though things were finally beginning to settle into some semblance of normal for Patton and Roman. The threat of The Council and Remus still lingered over their heads, but the danger didn't feel as pressing.  
  
...at least, not at first.  
  
It soon became clear to Roman that Patton was not adjusting well to their move back. He was foolish enough to allow a lack of any real difficulty at first to lull him into a false sense of complacency.  
  
Said complacency shattered into a million pieces the first time that Roman heard Patton crying out at night.  
  
It startled Roman awake, his heart racing as he sat up in bed and looked around warily, squinting for any sign of danger within the darkness surrounding their bed.  
  
He heard another noise and jolted, but soon realized that the noises he heard were coming from _Patton_, and that Patton was pleading for help in his sleep.  
  
Roman immediately reached out to shake Patton awake. Patton jerked violently at Roman's touch, causing Roman to withdraw his hand immediately.  
  
The nightmares were not a new phenomenon - he had _several_ prior to this point. Roman and Patton spent several minutes talking, allowing both Patton _and_ Roman to settle back into a more relaxed state and fall asleep once more.  
  
But as the days went on, Roman began to notice a disturbing pattern.  
  
The nightmares weren't new. Their increase in frequency, however, was.  
  
Roman expressed his concern with Patton a few nights later. He was ready to pack his bags and leave this house behind, but Patton insisted that these nightmares were a temporary occurence brought on by their move and that they'd settle soon enough.  
  
Roman was a fool.  
  
The nightmares continued. They happened almost _every night_, sometimes more than once. Despite how jarring they could be, Roman never blamed Patton for what was happening. He knew that Patton could not control the contents of his dreams, could not stop the nightmares from plaguing him in his sleep.  
  
That, in fact, bothered Roman more than anything else - That he _knew_ his love was suffering, but there was little he could do to help without somehow making his way into his husband's dreams and fighting off the demons that haunted him there.  
  
For all that magic could do, that was one spell and/or potion that had yet to be invented - One that allowed _dream travel_.  
  
The best that he could do was rouse Patton and assure him that he was safe. He and Patton soon learned that the best way to wake Patton was to speak to him rather than touch him, gradually raising his voice louder and louder until Patton regained consciousness. Attempting to jostle Patton awake inevitably resulted in Patton jerking violently, and Roman would _gladly_ do everything within his power to make the process as easy for his husband as possible.

He could only go so far, though.

The nightmares were bad enough, but Patton assured him that he could live through those. They only plagued Patton while he attempted to sleep at night, and while Patton could use a more restful sleep, he could still manage well enough during the day, so it was _fine_.

But it wasn't. Patton did his best to hide it, but Roman inevitably noticed how Patton would flinch at unexpected noises. 

The final straw occurred when Patton was in the kitchen cutting up vegetables for dinner. Roman entered the room, announcing his presence in a sing song voice. Patton immediately whirled around on the spot, his eyes wide and his arm outstretched as he brandished the knife in his hand toward Roman.

Toward his _husband_.

Patton immediately burst into tears. 

Roman did everything that he could to console Patton, to reassure him that he _knew_ Patton would not hurt him, that Roman wasn't standing anywhere _near_ the knife, that Patton reacted on impulse, that it wasn't his fault...

...but Roman had enough. He could not bear to see Patton suffer in this way any longer. He knew better than to hope that he could erase everything that Patton went through, but he did know of one thing that he could do. 

Patton protested at first, as Roman expected. Patton didn't want to ruin this for them - but Roman assured Patton that leaving a house that made Patton miserable was not ruining _anything_ for Roman, and that they could find a place to start over, a place that didn't actively inhibit any and all opportunities for Patton's recovery.

They contacted Patton's family, who welcomed them back with open arms, telling Patton and Roman that they could stay as long as they liked.

Patton and Roman didn't intend to impede on their hospitality for a long time, but they were grateful, and immediately set to work to find a new place to stay. It was difficult, though - the wizard they rented their home from was displeased that they ended their lease early, and despite Roman's explanation of the extenuating circumstances that led to their decision, the man remained unmoved and unsympathetic to their plight. After all, would it _kill_ them to stay for a few more months until their lease was over? This was really inconvenient to him, he professed, and they really ought to have warned him that something like this might happen-

Roman wished him the absolute worst and bade him farewell, though not without paying off the rest of their lease in one lump sum. 

Paying off the rest of their lease left them short of cash, which made searching for a new place to live that much more difficult. It didn't help that, as much of an asshole as their previous landlord was, he did offer them a fairly good deal for the home, a deal that was hard to find replicated anywhere else.

Roman and Patton were caught between a rock and a hard place, but Roman was certain that he made the right call. Roman was not foolish enough to think that Patton would be out of the woods with this, and he certainly _wasn't_, but Patton _improved_...and that made it all worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So some of Patton's PTSD symptoms, especially the ones regarding the nightmares, are modeled after my mother's. So, as a note, the symptoms Patton displays in here may not apply to everyone with PTSD, as this is a mere sampling, but...I felt as though I had to write this nevertheless. I'm sorry that this isn't the happily ever after that some of you are probably hoping for, but rest assured that I do plan on alleviating some of their troubles fairly soon. I just didn't want to make it seem as though all of Patton's troubles were behind him, because that felt like it would be doing an injustice to those who have gone through trauma, because rarely do people who go through trauma come out completely unscathed. That being said, if it helps, you can rest assured that he has a loving and supportive husband beside him every step of the way, and that Roman will do everything in his power to help Patton.


	14. Chapter 14

As soon as Virgil and Logan learned that Roman and Patton were back at Patton's parent's home, they knew they had to check up on their friends. Dee opted to tag along under the pretense that he had 'nothing better to do', but Virgil suspected that Dee was just as concerned about Roman and Patton as he and Logan were.  
  
They were greeted with excitement by everyone home at the time, which consisted of Toby, Seth, Mabel, and Junie. Their mother was currently at work, and their father, Seth explained, was taking August to a doctor's appointment. Virgil knew enough about the Muggle world at this point to determine that Seth was referring to what was essentially a Muggle Healer.  
  
_"It's for physical therapy,"_ Seth explained. _"The wizarding world is weird when it comes to medicine."_ He admitted. _"They can do so many things that Muggles can't with Potions and spells and the like, but they didn't even offer physical therapy to August at St. Mungo's after the attack. That's like Rehabilitation 101 in the Muggle world."_ Seth shook his head. _"But maybe I'm biased. I still find it weird that no one's come up with a potion that can generate the same effects as T."_  
  
_"There isn't?"_ Logan blinked in surprise.  
  
Seth shook his head. _"I have to bring everything from home."_  
  
Logan frowned. _"That hardly seems right..."_  
  
Seth raised an eyebrow, his arms folded across his chest. _"Are you saying I didn't look hard enough? Cause I think I would know if I overlooked something so important to my day to day existence-"_  
  
_"No no no,"_ Logan protested. _"I did not mean that you were not correct in your assertion. I mean that it does not seem right that the wizarding world does not have a suitable substitute for your Muggle medications. That is something that needs to be amended properly."_  
  
Seth relaxed considerably. _"My bad, I'm just used to people getting on my case about how 'what I'm doing isn't right'. It's gotten worse since the wedding. I even got deadnamed a number of times,"_ he sighed. _"'Awww, Ember, why'd you cut your hair short? Your hair looked so much better longer!'"_ Seth mocked, rolling his eyes. _"Nevermind that I know mum and dad sent Aunt Beth a letter telling her everything, up to and including the fact that my name is Seth. But I'm over it. I don't think mum and dad were too pleased when I told them what she did, and I have a feeling she won't be invited over for Christmas this year,"_ Seth smirked.  
  
_"Good. Her presents were terrible anyway,"_ Junie chimed in.  
  
_"Junie!"_ Toby scolded, but Virgil noticed the way that the corners of his mouth twitched upward in amusement as he did so.

_"What? You know I'm right,"_ Junie replied, indignant.  
  
Mabel remained suspiciously silent during this whole exchange, and even though she frequently smiled at various conversation points, Virgil noticed that it didn't quite reach her eyes.  
  
(Apparently pretending to be fine when one wasn't was a trait that ran in the family.)  
  
Toby, Seth, Junie, and Mabel went off to do their own thing soon enough, and it was at that point that Patton and Roman approached.  
  
_"Sorry we're late guys,"_ Patton's voice joined the fray, and Virgil glanced up at the source of the voice.  
  
_"No need to apologize,"_ Logan assured him.  
  
"How are you feeling?" Virgil asked.  
  
_"I'm fine,"_ Patton shrugged.  
  
_"Liar,"_ Dee interjected.  
  
Patton looked taken aback at that. Roman glared. _"Take that back."_  
  
_"No, Roman, he's right,"_ Patton admitted.  
  
_"Even if so, he could have been less of an ass about it,"_ Roman huffed.  
  
_"Fair enough,"_ Dee replied. _"But do you deny that it got the job done?"_  
  
...that was a fair point too. It _did_ get Patton to admit that he wasn't fine, albeit in a roundabout way.  
  
"It's okay if you're not fine," Virgil told Patton.  
  
_"I am doing better though? Like, I know I'm not 100%, but I'm not having nightmares every night like I was before we moved back here?"_ Patton admitted somewhat sheepishly.  
  
_"You were having nightmares every night?"_ Dee asked.  
  
_"Just about. Sometimes more than one per night,"_ Roman elaborated.  
  
Dee fell silent, a contemplative expression crossing his features.  
  
_"But like I said, I'm doing better now!"_ Patton reminded them.  
  
_"We're just trying to find a new place to live,"_ Roman explained. _"It's a bit...well..."_  
  
_"It's more difficult that we expected,"_ Patton admitted. _"So many places want so much money put down for a lease, and after we had to pay off the rest of our old lease because we left early, we don't have much money saved up, and we haven't really been able to find a deal as good as the one we had..."_  
  
_"Not that I would do business with that man again even if you paid me a million galleons,"_ Roman snapped. _"Doesn't matter if it's a good deal if the man behind the deal is a vile scoundrel."_  
  
_"Jeez Roman, tell us how you really feel,"_ Dee jested.  
  
_"May I offer a suggestion?"_ Logan wondered.  
  
_"Depends. What is your suggestion?"_ Roman asked in return.  
  
_"You state that you and Patton are experiencing difficulty in finding a new place to live. You do not have to pay heed to this suggestion, of course, but...have you considered roommates?"_ Logan inquired.  
  
Virgil's eyes went wide as he realized what Logan was implying. He eyed Patton and Roman warily, expecting them to decline. Instead, Patton was beaming, and Roman looked thoughtful. _"Keep talking, Specs..."_


	15. Chapter 15

It was decided at that point that they would start searching for a home and/or flat to rent that could accommodate five people.  
  
_"Five people?"_ Dee asked, arching an eyebrow. _"Don't you mean four?"_  
  
_"One, two, three, four..."_ Roman began, making a show of pointing to Patton, Virgil, Logan, and himself as he counted. _"Oh, and five."_ He pointed to Dee.  
  
Dee looked so flabbergasted that Virgil had to bite down on his lip to keep himself from laughing.  
  
Even with five people on board, however, it wasn't necessarily going to be easy to find a place. Hogsmeade was still out of the question, as many of the homes and shops were still damaged from the attacks earlier in the year. They were also trying to stay _away_ from places that brought back bad memories, and between Virgil's kidnapping and subsequent _brainwashing_, as well as the Fiendfyre Attack, Hogsmeade seemed like the _last_ place they ought to consider.  
  
It was hard to find anywhere within Diagon Alley to stay, and Virgil suspected that at least some of the influx to Diagon Alley came from Hogsmeade in the first place.  
  
_"We could try a Muggle neighborhood?"_ Patton suggested.  
  
_"I don't believe we have much of a choice otherwise,"_ Logan replied.  
  
So they started to look within Muggle London for locations, all the while going about their day to day lives in an attempt to save up money.  
  
Virgil was enjoying his job at Stella Stockett loads more than he ever enjoyed his job at Flourish and Blotts. Despite Logan's love for books, he outright _refused_ to step foot within the store since Virgil left, and Virgil could not help but feel honored...and, admittedly, a tad guilty. "You don't have to avoid the place because of me," Virgil told him one day.  
  
_"Who said that I am avoiding Flourish and Blotts because of you?"_ Logan wondered.  
  
Virgil blinked in surprise. Now he felt _really_ stupid, he clearly read more into the situation that he should have...  
  
_"I am avoiding Flourish and Blotts because I dislike the manager,"_ Logan clarified. _"And before you ask - Yes, I primarily dislike the manager due to her treatment of you, but that is not on you. That is on her, for allowing her own prejudice to cloud her ability to treat her employees that with the fairness and equality that they deserve. I could not in good conscience continue to work for an employer like that, nor do I wish to patronize her business now that I know she allows those attitudes to impact how she runs her business. Besides, there are other bookstores about. The one in Hogsmeade is set to open again soon."_  
  
Virgil's stomach lurched at the mention of Hogsmeade, and he could practically feel the color leave his face.  
  
_"You do not have to accompany me, of course,"_ Logan noted. _"I know that Hogsmeade makes you viscerally uncomfortable."_  
  
"I have to do it at some point," Virgil argued.

_"Perhaps, but you should not do so until you feel you are ready to do so. There is no rush,"_ Logan assured him.  
  
"Thanks Lo," Virgil replied, surprised that hearing those words actually _helped_. Logan still expressed confidence that Virgil might be able to do it some day, while also acknowledging that he wasn't ready to do so any time soon.  
  
_"At any rate, we should set back to work on finding a place to stay. I found a complex of flats that might suit us well, if you would like to take a look. Three bedrooms, two baths...""_ Logan, ever the taskmaster, read out loud. Virgil smiled fondly. He didn't want to get his hopes up _too_ high, but he found himself genuinely looking forward to this next adventure.  
  
\-----------------------  
  
Delilah wasn't sure what to make of the man standing before Remus and herself. Honestly, her first thought was that he didn't look like much. He was middle-aged and rather unassuming, though his eyes were cold and calculating. Upon closer inspection, something seemed slightly _off_ about his appearance, though she wasn't entirely certain what it was.  
  
She was both intrigued and wary.  
  
She chanced a glance at Remus, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. He didn't seem in the least bit phased by Dalibor. Delilah _wanted_ to write that off as Remus being foolish, but she wasn't sure what to think at this point. He lacked formal wizarding education, yet his masterful manipulation of Patton proved that he knew exactly how he could get into people's heads.  
  
Delilah found Remus exhausting, yet also felt a begrudging respect toward him. He could certainly get the job done, even if he sometimes used crude methods that Delilah would rather avoid.  
  
_"You are nervous,"_ Dalibor noted. The man on the other side of the room stared in her direction. His mouth had not moved.  
  
Delilah tensed. _"I wonder why you feel the need to continue to use Legilimancy while you stand before us and could speak to us normally?"_  
  
Delilah was intimidated, but did not want to show that she felt intimidated.

Dalibor chuckled, this time opting to speak out loud. Delilah didn't know whether he was doing so at her request, or merely to prove that he could. _"Why limit your communication to such mundane means when you have moved far beyond that?"_  
  
_"You're showing off, in other words,"_ Remus grinned. Delilah did not know whether to be impressed by or appalled by Remus' utter lack of couth.  
  
The older wizard shrugged. _"If that is the way you choose to see it. I prefer to utilize my gifts as often as I possibly can, rather than allow them to go to waste. Practice does make perfect, after all."_  
  
_"Didn't you let them go to waste for over half a century while you were trapped in a necklace?"_ Remus pointed out.  
  
Delilah gaped at Remus. She was no longer impressed _at all_ at his utter foolishness - he was going to get them both killed!

Dalibor, on the other hand, merely looked amused as he changed the subject. _"What is it that brings you here to see me today?"_  
  
_"We have heard that you specialize in certain brands of Dark Magic that very few others possess knowledge of. We would be honored if you would accept us as students."_ Delilah chose her words carefully.  
  
_"And I suppose you expect me to accept you as students unconditionally, with no effort on your part?"_ Dalibor smirked.  
  
_"N-No, of course not, I would not dare to suggest-"_ Delilah tracked back. Ugh, she hated how intimidated she felt, but this man had a reputation that preceded him and she could not ignore that.  
  
_"You must earn your place as my students. You must show that you are willing to push both your minds and your magics farther than they have ever been pushed before. You must prove that you are capable of handling this before I will accept you as students. Do we have a deal, Remus Duke and Delilah Draca?"_ Dalibor asked.


	16. Chapter 16

_"You're moving out?"_ Renilda gasped, hand flying over her mouth. _"My baby boys are moving out on their own!"_ Her eyes grew watery. _"I...I...whatever am I going to do?!"_  
  
Virgil stared awkwardly at the floor, while the side of Dee's face that _wasn't_ covered in scales turned bright pink. Logan cleared his throat and glanced toward the opposite wall, feeling as though he was intruding on an intimate family moment that he should not be present for.  
  
Just when Virgil thought that he'd have to spring into action to console his mother, Renilda burst into laughter. _"You should see the looks on your faces!"_  
  
Virgil, Logan, and Dee exchanged glances. Virgil could tell by the expressions on Dee and Logan's faces that they were just as taken aback as he was.  
  
_"Congrats you three, I'm so proud of all of you,"_ Renilda smiled warmly. When Logan opened his mouth to say something, Renilda chuckled. _"No, Logan, I did not misspeak. I meant to include you in my statement. I'm proud of you too."_  
  
Logan turned as pink as Dee was earlier, much to Virgil and Dee's amusement.

"So you're not upset?" Virgil checked.  
  
Renilda shook her head. _"Not really. I'll miss having you lot around, don't get me wrong, but I truly am happy for you. When do you move?"_  
  
Virgil, Logan, Patton, Roman, and Dee narrowed their search down to a small house located near the Dicaxes' neighborhood. It was actually Archibald and Tara who informed them of the house in the first place. The quintet checked it out, and discovered that it met all of the qualifications they were looking for. It was a bit on the expensive side, but the Dicaxes offered to pay the first month of their rent to allow the group a bit of extra time to get on their feet.

_"Roman and Patton are moving in first. Then, after they've had a few days to settle in, we will join them,"_ Logan explained.  
  
"At least this house didn't have acoustic issues like one of the other ones we looked at," Virgil noted.  
  
_"Acoustic issues?"_ Renilda arched a brow.  
  
_"Any time we spoke at a certain volume, there was an echo,"_ Logan elaborated.  
  
Renilda made a face. _"Jeez, that sounds worse than my first flat, and there was a ghoul in the flat directly above me there."_  
  
_"A ghoul? Wasn't that noisy in it's own way?"_ Dee wondered.  
  
_"Oh yes. Fortunately, I happened to have a ghoul with a very odd sleeping schedule. Or...whatever it was. I'm not even sure if ghouls sleep. But I've heard that a lot of the particularly pesky ghouls will groan and groan and keep you up all night. This ghoul certainly did it's fair share of groaning, but it did so during the day, and it's a lot easier to find things to do to block that out during the day,"_ Renilda grinned. _"Still moved out as soon as I could, though."_  
  
_"I can hardly say that I blame you, given the circumstances. And I must admit that I, too, am not certain as to whether or not ghouls need to sleep,"_ Logan assured her.  
  
_"At any rate, I'm so glad to see that this is finally happening for you!"_ She smiled, but her eyes began to grow misty. Virgil began to wonder if his mother really _would_ cry (or if this was another joke), but then she threw her arms around him, much to his surprise. Virgil blinked and slowly put his arms around his mother in return. They stayed like that for a minute or so, and if Virgil closed his eyes he could almost imagine that he was six all over again.  
  
Renilda relinquished Virgil to turn her attention to Dee. She hugged him as well. When she threw her arms around Logan, his eyes widened in surprise, but he returned the gesture nevertheless.

_"Make sure you take pictures and owl them to me as soon as possible. Or no, wait! You can take pictures with your telling phones, right?"_ Renilda gasped.  
  
_"Telephones, and yes we can,"_ Logan replied. _"Would you prefer to receive the pictures through that route instead?"  
  
_Renilda nodded._ "I don't personally have one, but Emile does. You have his number, don't you Virgil?" _Renilda shifted her attention to her youngest son.  
  
Virgil shot his mother a thumbs up._ "We may send an owl for the second part, though."  
  
"The second part?" _Renilda wondered.  
  
_"Did you really think that we were not going to invite you to visit our new lodgings?" _Dee grinned.


	17. Chapter 17

Virgil fell into a heap on the ground for what felt like the 50th time in a row. He let out a growl of frustration, preparing to push himself back to his feet and try again.  
  
He was distracted by laughter from the doorway. _"What on Earth was that?"_  
  
Virgil hissed and seized a black cat throw pillow from atop the bed he shared with Logan. He chucked it at Dee, who artfully dodged it and laughed even harder.  
  
_"Real mature, Virgil,"_ Dee taunted once he regained enough of his composure to speak. _"Which reminds me, I have a surprise...I've captured a little birdy for you!"_  
  
Virgil blinked in confusion. One of Dee's hands was cupped over the other. As Dee removed the top hand, Virgil braced himself for what might be underneath.  
  
_"See, here it is!"_ Dee declared. Virgil rolled his eyes as he realized that Dee meant an entirely _different_ bird than the sort with wings that might flit around the room.  
  
_"Oh, oh, there it goes,"_ Dee pretended that his hand, middle finger still raised, was soaring away.  
  
The corners of Virgil's mouth twitched upward in spite of himself. Yes, his brother was flipping him off, but he was doing so in such an absurdly over the top way that Virgil could not help but feel amused.  
  
That did not mean that he wanted _Dee_ to see it, however, so he tried his best to maintain an annoyed expression.  
  
_"In all seriousness though, what did the floor ever do to you?"_ Dee wondered.  
  
Virgil stared blankly at Dee, wondering what he was on about.  
  
_"You don't have to beat up the floor, there are better ways to take out your anger,"_ Dee smirked.  
  
Virgil huffed. "I was practicing Apparition."  
  
_"Were you now? I must say, you did a fine job Apparating from a standing position to a laying position. Or was that not your intent?"_ Dee asked.  
  
"You know full well it wasn't my intent," Virgil said through his phone, rolling his eyes.  
  
_"I hadn't the faintest idea,"_ Dee shrugged, smiling in mock innocence.  
  
Virgil let out a sigh and pushed himself back to his feet. He brushed some of the dirt off of his pants.  
  
_"Why are you so eager to Apparate all of a sudden? It did not seem as though you were in any rush to do so a few years ago when you were first eligible?"_ Dee wondered.  
  
Virgil shrugged. It wasn't any _one_ reason in particular. He could still recall Logan's mishap with Side-Along Apparition, though they'd traveled via this method since then with little difficulty. Still, each and every time posed a risk to Logan, and Virgil knew that.  
  
Virgil knew that it would still be a risk to Logan even without Virgil tagging along. Virgil knew there would still be a risk even if _he_ learned to successfully Apparate and began to do so regularly. No method of transportation was 100% safe, though, and he was acutely aware that every time he and Logan traveled through Side-Along Apparition, it only increased the risk for both of them.  
  
"Reasons," Virgil told Dee at last.  
  
Even if he did travel via Floo Powder the majority of the time (and would probably continue to do so, as his apprehension of Apparition had _not_ faded), it would be a good skill to have in the event of an emergency.  
  
After all, what if it was just him and one other person, and the other person was unconscious and thus unable to Apparate? What if, instead of Patton, it was _Virgil_ that Dee saved by diverting the Fiendfyre in Hogsmeade? Patton was able to save Dee, August, and himself _because_ he was able to Apparate to St. Mungo's.  
  
If Virgil were there instead...Dee and August could have died.  
  
_He_ could have died.  
  
Dee let out a snort. _"I suppose 'reasons' are as good a reason as any. Hopefully said 'reasons' appreciate your efforts."_  
  
Virgil shrugged. "I don't know, do you?"  
  
Dee's eyes went wide. Virgil _knew_ that Dee was referring to _Logan_ with that statement, and while Dee wasn't _wrong_, what happened to Dee and the role that Apparition played in Dee's rescue played just as much a part.  
  
And Dee clearly did _not_ expect that.  
  
(Plus it was funny to catch Dee off guard like this.)

_"Why in the world would I have anything to do with your learning Apparition?"_ Dee eyed Virgil with a skeptical expression.  
  
"Hogsmeade," Virgil replied.  
  
Dee looked even more puzzled at first.  
  
"Patton Apparated with you and August to St. Mungo's," Virgil elaborated.  
  
It was at that point that comprehension finally dawned on Dee's features, followed by the slightest of smiles. _"Well then. Break a leg, my dear brother, and I don't suppose you'd benefit from any advice from a seasoned Apparator so I'll be on my way..."_  
  
"Alright, Dee, what sort of advice do you have?" Virgil asked, rolling his eyes and grinning.  
  
Dee turned around, smirking. _"I thought you would never ask..."_


	18. Chapter 18

Learning to cohabitate with two people he'd never cohabitated with was somehow simultaneously both easier than Virgil expected _and_ more difficult.  
  
It helped that Logan and Dee were there. Virgil was used to living with the two of them. Patton and Roman were the ones he needed to adjust to.  
  
And it wasn't that he didn't know Patton or Roman. Patton was his friend from their third year of Hogwarts on, and Roman was Virgil's friend from their fifth year on. He did not feel uncomfortable with them in any way, and he thought he'd grown used to their habits and ways of doing things. He didn't expect any major surprises.  
  
He expected wrong.  
  
Patton was Virgil's best friend. Virgil thought he knew just about everything there was to know about Patton.  
  
Virgil was walking back from the bathroom to the room he shared with Logan when he noticed a light on in the kitchen. It was 4:30 in the morning; who would be up at this hour?  
  
What if it wasn't any of his friends or family and was someone dangerous?  
  
He didn't have his wand with him, so there wasn't much that he could do spell-wise. He'd have to rely on the element of surprise. No matter how dangerous a robber might be, they could not pose much of a threat if they didn't even know Virgil was creeping up on them.  
  
Now if only he could stop his heart from pounding in his ears.  
  
Taking a deep breath to ease his composure, Virgil crept to the kitchen. He could hear someone rummaging around. It _was_ a robber, then. And if they were rummaging, now was his opportunity to act-  
  
_"Darn, I thought we had more eggs...guess I'll have to make some sides to go with the omelette!"_ That was unmistakably Patton's voice.  
  
Virgil slipped out of the shadows, standing in the doorway in a state of shock. There was no danger, it was only Patton. A Patton awake at 4:30 in the morning and...discussing breakfast?  
  
Virgil chewed on his bottom lip. Now came the hard part - Should he address Patton and run the risk of startling him? Or should he turn around and go back to bed, leaving Patton to...whatever it was that he was doing.  
  
He probably would have decided on the latter were he left to his own devices. But he wasn't, and Patton unknowingly made the decision for him the moment that they made eye contact. _"Virgil! I didn't expect anyone else to be up this early!"_ Patton grinned, waving Virgil over.

On reflex, Virgil reached for his pocket for his phone, only to remember that his phone was back in his room and he was wearing pajamas.  
  
Patton chuckled at this, pulling open a drawer beneath one of the kitchen counters. _"Just a sec, I know we have it somewhere...aha!"_  
  
Patton pulled out a pad of paper with a pen clipped to it. _"Pardon our mess...we're still trying to figure out where to put everything and a lot of random odds and ends ended up in this drawer. I'm glad some of it could come in handy, though!"_ Patton smiled.  
  
Virgil smiled in return. _"Thanks Pat,"_ he wrote. It was good to know that he didn't have to return back to his room to get his phone to communicate with Patton. While the text to speech program made things less time consuming, he could manage with his old fallback of _writing_ what he needed to say. He didn't want to run back to his room and risk waking Logan up in the process, after all.  
  
_"So you get up at this time often?"_ Patton wondered.  
  
Virgil shrugged. _"Sometimes,"_ he wrote. _"What about you?"_  
  
_"Yup! I usually like to try to get breakfast ready before Roman gets up so he has something to look forward to when he gets out of bed!"_ Patton beamed, smiling the whole time. Someone who didn't know Patton well might have been fooled, but Virgil caught the way Patton's smile faltered for a second at Virgil's question before he regained his composure.  
  
_"I actually woke up from a nightmare,"_ Virgil admitted. Patton nearly dropped the plates that he was carrying, which may as well have _confirmed_ what Virgil suspected to begin with.  
  
Virgil wasn't the only one who had a nightmare.  
  
What Virgil _didn't_ expect was for Patton to burst into tears.  
  
"Pat!" Virgil blurted out, quickly taking the plates from Patton and placing them on the counter before going back to Patton and gently guiding him toward one of the seats in the dining room.  
  
Patton sniffed. _"I'm sorry-"_  
  
Virgil shook his head in his best attempt to quickly say 'don't apologize'.  
  
Patton nodded. Virgil and Patton sat in relative silence for the next several minutes, punctuated occasionally by Patton sniffling. Finally, Patton was calm enough to speak. _"Moving was supposed to fix things..."_  
  
_"If moving hasn't helped, you need to tell Roman,"_ Virgil advised.  
  
_"No!"_ Patton shouted emphatically. He quickly threw his hand over his mouth, eyes wide. _"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that so loudly, I probably woke everyone else up..."_  
  
_"Doubt it,"_ Virgil wrote in reply. _"Why don't you want to tell Roman?"_ he added.  
  
_"Because I don't want him to be sad,"_ Patton replied. _"We went through all of this...he did all of this...because of me. To help me. And...I don't want him to think that it was all for nothing. That everything he did was a waste of time."_  
  
_"Do you still have nightmares every night?"_ Virgil wondered.  
  
Patton shook his head. _"Not every night. Maybe four times a week? I dunno."_  
  
_"So things have improved some."_  
  
Patton shrugged. _"Maybe, but I'm not fixed. This was supposed to fix me."_  
  
_"You're not broken,"_ Virgil wrote.  
  
Patton let out a snort. _"Of course I am. Sometimes when I look at Roman, I...I see Remus, I see the things that Remus made me see, and I can't be around him when it's like that, and what kind of man can't stand to be around his own husband sometimes?"_  
  
Virgil underlined the words 'you're not broken' repeatedly.

Patton wiped at his eyes. _"I feel broken, though,"_ he told Virgil in a quiet voice. Virgil actually had to lean in to hear him.

"Feeling broken doesn't mean that you are broken, though," Virgil assured Patton. He'd been there before, after all, and it was friends like Patton who helped him then.  
  
He owed it to Patton to be there for him now.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be a mostly lighthearted chapter. I do have some angst planned at some point, but I just have to figure out how I want to go about it pfff. In any case, I hope you don't mind a little lightheartedness for the time being?
> 
> Also I'm sorry if my chapters have been shorter lately, I've admittedly been experiencing some writer's block lately and it's been frustrating me, but I wanna keep giving you guys content so...

4:30 really _was_ too early to start breakfast for people who probably wouldn't be up until 7 or 8 at the earliest. Even after Virgil and Patton's conversation, it was only a few minutes after 5am. As neither Virgil nor Patton planned to head back to bed by this point, they needed something to keep them occupied until later.  
  
_"Oooh, I've got an idea. Follow me!"_ Patton beckoned Virgil toward the living room. Did Patton plan on giving him a tour of the place? Virgil wasn't so sure that he _needed_ one, but he didn't want to rain on Patton's parade, not when Patton was undoubtedly doing better than he was earlier.  
  
Virgil also had the presence of mind to recognize that Patton was by no means _cured_ just because _Virgil_ reassured him that he wasn't broken. If it were that easy, Roman would have 'cured' Patton a long time ago.  
  
But Patton wanted to get off of the subject. While Virgil knew that Patton absolutely needed to discuss what was happening with someone, he didn't want to force the issue on Patton either. Patton did, after all, acknowledge some of the troubles that he was facing, and that was at least a start.  
  
Patton guided them to the couch, motioning for Virgil to take a seat. He reached for something that Virgil vaguely recognized as a remote. _"We're going to watch TV?"_ Virgil jotted out.  
  
_"I was thinking something more like a movie! Are there any movies you wanna watch?"_ Patton wondered.  
  
Virgil let out a short at that. _"Don't know much about movies. Never seen one."_  
  
Patton's eyes widened. _"Oh right, you've never watched a movie before! Well...you can't go wrong with Disney? I know Roman really loves their movies! They're all in that container right there..."_  
  
Virgil glanced in the direction Patton pointed in. He made his way over the container in question. He sifted through his options. Most of the titles had nothing even _close_ to characters or stories that he'd heard of.

He did recognize Mickey and Minnie Mouse on the cover of one of the...he believed they were called DVDs? He was about to select that movie when he spotted another one in the basket. His eyes went wide and he immediately snatched that one up and handed it over to Patton.

Patton blinked in surprise, but said surprise turned into an amused grin one he saw what movie Virgil chose. _"The Nightmare Before Christmas? I thought you were already a fan, though. You mean to tell me you're a fan of the movie and you haven't even seen it?"_

Virgil shrugged. "Roman brought the graphic novel to Hogwarts so I could read it, remember?" he wrote.

_"Oh yeah! Well, you're in for a real treat with this! ...or should I say trick or treat?"_ Patton winked.

Virgil snickered and watched as Patton put the movie into the DVD player. His first thought once Patton started the movie was that the moving pictures reminded him an awful lot of wizarding photos, but then he heard the _sound_ and his eyes widened. No, these were different than wizarding photos, though he had to admit that he was surprised that the wizarding world hadn't copied this already. One would think that it would only take a couple of charms on top of the developing potion that allowed wizarding photos to move in the first place, and they could _easily_ replicate this!

...but then they'd have to market the idea to the wizarding world, Virgil realized, and people like Linus and the Princes would be adamantly against something that so closely resembled something Muggle in nature, and it probably wouldn't make much money, which would discourage anyone from mass producing something like that in the first place, thus explaining why he hadn't seen anything like it even though someone probably already considered the idea before him and may have even tried to put it into motion...

Speaking of motion, the picture on the screen was no longer moving. Virgil became aware that Patton was speaking to him, and turned to the other young man in confusion.

_"Virgil? You okay? I asked if you wanted anything to drink?" _Patton asked.

He was putting too much thought into this, wasn't he? Virgil shook his head and motioned for Patton to continue the movie. 

Two hours later, Virgil stared at the screen in disappointment as the credits rolled. "That's it?" he wrote out with a frown.

Patton chuckled. _"Yup!" _When he saw that Virgil was frowning, his own smile fell. _"What's wrong? Did you not like the movie?"_

"Like it?" Virgil let out a snort. "I loved it! I was hoping there was more of it."

_"Oh!"_ Patton giggled. _"No, unfortunately there isn't. They never came out with a sequel for the movie."_

Virgil sighed. "That's unfortunate. There were so many opportunities for one too, with all those other holidays in the forest," he jotted down his argument for said sequel.

_"Yeah, but I dunno if The Nightmare Before Easter really has the same ring as The Nightmare Before Christmas,"_ Patton giggled.

Virgil shrugged. "True."

Patton glanced up at the clock on the wall. _"Well it's a little past 6:30 now...do you wanna watch another movie or should we get started on breakfast?"_

Virgil chewed on his bottom lip, trying to make a decision. He was starting to grow hungry, but he didn't want to start cooking too early and wake everyone else up before they wanted to wake up...plus he was enjoying watching movies with Patton. "Maybe one more. Which one is your favorite?"

Patton beamed. _"I thought you'd never ask..."_ He reached into the basket and pulled out The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh, putting it into the DVD player and pressing play.


	20. Chapter 20

Virgil decided that he liked Winnie The Pooh. No, it wasn't The Nightmare Before Christmas. Virgil foresaw himself watching The Nightmare Before Christmas over and over again many times within the next few weeks...once he figured out how to work the DVD player on his own. He might have to watch Patton use it a few more times before he really got the hang of it. Logan probably also knew how to use one, since he was raised in a half Muggle, half wizard household...maybe Logan could help him with it?  
  
Winnie the Pooh was nice, though. He could see why Patton enjoyed it so much. It was lighthearted, but not to the point where it was _completely_ glossed over things. And none of the characters were the same. They all had their own idiosyncrasies and struggles that they faced. Pooh could be naive at times, but he was still a sweetheart who cared deeply about his friends and would do anything for them. Piglet was timid and afraid of a lot of things (_can't imagine what that's like,_ Virgil thought to himself in a voice that sounded suspiciously like his older brother's), but could be brave when he needed to be. Eeyore might not be the easiest to get along with considering his pessimistic attitude and penchant toward sarcasm, but his friends still stood by him nevertheless, just as he stood by them.   
  
Tigger could be boisterous to the point of obnoxious at times, but it was clear that his heart was in the right place. Owl was widely regarded as one of the most intelligent animals in the Hundred Acre Wood, but sometimes would go off into long-winded speeches that the other characters had a hard time following. Yet they still did their best to listen to his input and take it into consideration.  
  
...he could see bits and pieces of he and his _friends_ in these characters, in other words, and seeing how well each of these characters got along with one another gave him hope that no matter what happened to he and his friends, they'd hopefully get through it alright in the end.  
  
Patton seemed altogether happier too, though Virgil couldn't tell if he was putting on airs in this instance or rather the mini movie marathon actually helped. He suspected that the marathon had to have helped _somewhat_, but he was wary of letting his concerns for Patton fall to the wayside entirely. He didn't want to miss out on any otherwise obvious signs that Patton might not be doing as well as he proclaimed to be.  
  
Virgil had to keep up a balance with this, though. He couldn't let Patton know that he was looking out for him, as that might set Patton off again if Patton _was_ doing better. He just couldn't ignore his concerns either, in the event that something bad happen as a _result_ of his ignoring those concerns.  
  
It was getting close to 8:30, plenty late enough to start on breakfast, and so the two set to work. Virgil learned _very_ quickly that Patton knew a lot more about what he was doing than Virgil did. That said, Virgil was perfectly willing to take pointers.   
  
_"Take some of this pancake batter and scoop it out into the pan here,"_ Patton advised, handing Virgil a bowl filled with pancake batter. In the meantime, Patton was taking pieces of bacon and placing them into a frying pan next to him.  
  
Scooping the pancake batter wasn't too hard, though Patton did have to stop him at one point. _"Make sure they don't touch, or else they're gonna end up stuck together when they're cooked and then you'll have two pancakes stuck together. A mega pancake! Maybe that wouldn't be so bad after all."_ Patton chuckled. _"We'll just make regular pancakes today, but remind me to make some of my chocolate chip pancakes some time soon for you. Roman says they're absolutely to die...for..."_  
  
Patton faltered, and Virgil's eyes widened as he realized that Patton accidentally hit on a rough spot for _himself_ with his word choice. _"I, uh, he says they're good,"_ Patton amended, laughing nervously.

_"Good morniiiiiiiiiiiiiing!"_ Roman sung out. Patton looked as if he were about to jump out of his skin, something that Roman noticed immediately. His smile immediately dropped into a frown.

Virgil chewed on his bottom lip, suddenly feeling as though he was intruding on something highly private.

\------------------------

They did it. They _actually_ did it. Dalibor was going to train them. Remus was utterly ecstatic. Delilah...wasn't sure how she felt.

Oh, she was certainly excited. She heard all of the rumors from the rest of The Council, describing how this man descended deeper into the Dark Arts than any of them had before, teaching himself magics that most of them had never seen before.

_"Oooh, I hope he teaches us how to make horcruxes! He obviously knows how to make them, since he had one! I wonder what it feels like, splitting your soul into two? Does it tickle? Does it leave any cool scars? I can't wait to find out!" _Remus beamed.

Delilah began to wonder if she made a mistake, but quickly tried to shake any and all doubts away. She was well versed in Dark Magic, she wasn't _scared_ by any of this. She was just...apprehensive about doing well. That was all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So in addition to this story, I have also started a new AU, if any of you want to check it out! It's called Beauty Is In The Eyes Of The Beholder! Also, I'm thinking of switching back to updating every other day for this story (while uploading the other story on the off days), as I did in the past when I was working on more than one story at once, so...hopefully that's alright?


	21. Chapter 21

As it turned out, Roman and Patton had a lot to talk about. Virgil left the room to allow them some privacy, allowing his own thoughts to carry him away from the couch in the living room.  
  
Patton mentioned that looking at Roman made him uncomfortable at times, because Roman was Remus' _twin_. Thus, the man that Patton loved more than anything else in the world and the man whose actions subjected Patton to weeks of mental torture bore the _same face_.  
  
But Remus wasn't the only one who subjected Patton to torture, nor was Roman's face the only one capable of drawing Patton back to horrific moments in his past.  
  
Patton was subjected to the Cruciatus Curse by Virgil, after all.  
  
Virgil chewed on his bottom lip. Did Patton's heart race when Virgil entered the room at times? Did Virgil's presence make him uncomfortable? _None_ of this was Patton's fault, of course, and Virgil would never, _ever_ suggest that it was! But Virgil's own mind decided to fixate on the subject, and Virgil wasn't entirely sure how to get his mind off of it. He wasn't entirely sure that he _should_.  
  
Virgil frowned, tasting something funny on his tongue. He made a face, trying to figure out what it was. It tasted almost _metallic_, but he hadn't eaten anything since the night before, and he didn't notice the taste until now.  
  
His bottom lip was also quite sore at this point, and Virgil stopped chewing at it, figuring he'd put it through enough abuse. He dabbed at it with his fingers, pulling them away as he felt something wet and warm.  
  
Blood. So _that_ was what he tasted. He managed to chew a hole in his lip.

_"Are you alright, Virgil?"_ Virgil heard Logan ask.  
  
Virgil turned to Logan and nodded. Logan's eyebrow immediately arched upward. _"Your lip is bleeding,"_ he observed.  
  
Virgil replied with his best 'no shit' face.  
  
_"Wait here just a moment, I'm going to get a towel,"_ Logan told him, and left before Virgil could offer any sort of response. Instead of waiting for Logan, Virgil opted to walk back to the room he shared with Logan and retrieve his phone so that he could communicate easier once more. When he arrived back to the living room, Logan was already there.  
  
_"I thought I told you to stay put?"_ Logan frowned.  
  
"I had to get this," Virgil replied through his phone, holding up the device for emphasis after pressing play.  
  
_"Ah,"_ came Logan's response. He held out a wet towel for Virgil, who held it up to his lip in an attempt to stem the bleeding.  
  
_"I hear Patton and Roman talking in the kitchen. I presume that there is a reason you are not in there with them?"_ Logan asked.  
  
Virgil nodded. He made sure the volume was turned down on his phone. He wanted to whisper, but was incapable of doing so intelligibly in the most literal sense, so he turned down his phone in his best attempt to imitate it. "Patton is having a rough time this morning."  
  
_"I see. And you felt it best for Roman and Patton to discuss this one on one?"_ Logan guessed.  
  
"I already spoke with him earlier," Virgil admitted.  
  
_"Earlier? How long have you been awake, Virgil?"_ Logan wondered.  
  
"Since 4:30," Virgil admitted.  
  
Logan sighed. _"You went to bed at midnight. Four and a half hours is not an optimal amount of sleep, Virgil."_  
  
"Says the guy who would spend so much time studying for his NEWTs at Hogwarts that there were nights where he only got two to three hours of sleep?" Virgil arched an eyebrow. It took him a while to type, but it was worth it just to see the indignant expression on his boyfriend's face.  
  
_"That is entirely different,"_ Logan argued. _"That was to secure my future!"_  
  
"And I was comforting a friend. Emotional intelligence is important too, isn't it?" Virgil pointed out.  
  
_"...fair point,"_ Logan admitted.  
  
_"Morning,"_ another voice joined the fray. Virgil recognized his brother at once. _"Are you lot ready to head to Kings Cross?"_  
  
_"King's Cross?"_ Logan stared blankly. _"Why on Earth would we travel to King's Cross?"_  
  
_"Its the first day of Hogwarts, of course!"_ Dee announced. Virgil's eyes widened as he glanced down at his phone. '1 September' stared back at him in bright letters.  
  
_"None of us attend Hogwarts anymore,"_ Logan replied flatly.  
  
Dee shrugged. _"Doesn't mean that we can't go there for old times' sake."_  
  
"But do any of us really want to?" Virgil said through his text to speech program, letting out a snort for effect.  
  
_"Only a suggestion,"_ Dee shrugged once more.  
  
_"Breakfast is ready!"_ Patton's voice called out from the kitchen, interrupting their conversation.  
  
Virgil's eyes widened. He left the kitchen to allow Roman and Patton some time to themselves, and forgot that he's been helping Patton with breakfast!  
  
"I'm so sorry Pat, I wanted to give you and Roman a chance to talk," Virgil told Patton as soon as he entered the kitchen.  
  
Patton chuckled and waved his hand in a way that suggestion 'don't worry about it'.  
  
(That was much easier said than done where Virgil was concerned.)  
  
_"It smells lovely,"_ Logan observed as he entered the kitchen behind Virgil.  
  
_"Thanks!"_ Patton beamed. He looked to be in better spirits than he was before. As Roman, Dee, and Logan stepped up to fill their plates, Patton waved Virgil over. _"Roman's taking me to see Professor Picani in a couple of days,"_ he whispered.  
  
"I thought you were already seeing him?" Virgil frowned.  
  
_"I...I had plans to, but...I was scared. Still am,"_ Patton admitted. _"It's just...some of the thoughts and images were so bad and I don't want him to think..."_ Patton trailed off, clearly unsure of what to say next.  
  
"That you actually wanted to do any of it?" Virgil elaborated.  
  
Patton nodded. _"But...but Roman said he'd come with me. And that'll help, I think. He already knows a lot of it so...even if I have a hard time talking, Roman can fill in the blanks."_  
  
Having Roman there would also offer Patton additional support. Virgil was glad that Patton finally talked to Roman, because it sounded like just what Patton needed.


	22. Chapter 22

Virgil wasn't surprised when Hogwarts was brought up again later that day. It was, after all, the first time in  _years_ that they were not headed off to Hogwarts themselves (with the obvious exception of Dee, who failed to attend Hogwarts for the year that he was in Azkaban).   
  
It started with Patton smiling fondly as he reminisced about his sorting. Virgil realized that he didn't remember  _any_ of his friends' sortings, despite the fact that they were in the same year, and immediately felt guilty. From a logical standpoint he recognized that he shouldn't feel that way; he didn't even  _know_ Patton, Roman, and Logan at the time, and thus would have no reason to pay extra attention to any of their sortings.   
  
That didn't alleviate the feeling entirely, unfortunately.   
  
_"I had no idea what house I even wanted to be sorted into. All that I knew about the houses I heard about on the train,"_ Patton admitted.   
  
_"You did not study the houses ahead of time so that you would be prepared?"_ Logan blinked in surprise.   
  
_"Hmmm, can't imagine why you were sorted into Ravenclaw,"_ Dee commented sardonically.   
  
Patton shook his head.  _"I didn't. I gotta admit...from what I heard, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor seemed like the best houses for me, but I let the sorting hat do its thing. It picked Hufflepuff, of course, and the rest is history!"_ he smiled.   
  
_"As I recall, the hat called out 'Hufflepuff!' nary a second after it touched your head!"_ Roman noted.   
  
_"And as I recall, you were up there for quite some time, Roman,"_ Logan arched an eyebrow.   
  
Roman let out a sigh. Virgil already  _knew_ that Roman struggled with his sorting, as they'd discussed it in the past, but he wasn't sure how open Roman would be to discussing the matter in front of the others.  _"I was. I was torn between Gryffindor and Slytherin. The hat...the hat told me that I would be a good fit for both. A great, fit, actually."_ Roman let out a half-hearted chuckle.  _"Sometimes I wonder what might have happened had I chosen Slytherin instead...they're not pleasant thoughts by any means, but they do happen sometimes."_   
  
_"It did not take long for the sorting hat to place me into Ravenclaw,"_ Logan noted.  _"There was a brief mention of Slytherin as a possibility, but we both agreed that Ravenclaw would suit me better."_   
  
Virgil nodded in agreement. As awesome as it might have been to have Logan in the same house as he was (perhaps they might have gotten to know each other sooner if that was the case), Ravenclaw really  _did_ fit Logan best in Virgil's opinion.   
  
"The hat considered Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff for me," Virgil said with assistance from his phone.    
  
_"It did?"_ Dee blinked in surprise.   
  
_"You didn't know that?"_ Roman stared back at Dee.   
  
_"You did?"_ Dee looked...to be honest, Virgil could not properly interpret the expression on Dee's face, and that made him uncomfortable.   
  
...but why  _would_ he have mentioned it to Dee at the time? He was under the impression that Dee would run directly to Linus and rat him out if he so much as mentioned any house other than Slytherin...and to be fair, it was a valid assessment at the time.   
  
_"I presume Slytherin was the third option it suggested?"_ Logan wondered.   
  
Virgil had to resist the urge to chew on his bottom lip, as he did not want to risk reopening the scab that was beginning to form there. He went to type in his response, but Dee spoke up before he could even begin to type.   
  
_"Slytherin wasn't even mentioned by the hat, was it?"_ Dee asked. This time, Virgil could identify Dee's expression. He looked  _conflicted_ , much to Virgil's surprise. He hadn't expected Dee to be the first to catch on.   
  
Virgil shook his head, thereby confirming Dee's theory.   
  
Dee felt silent for a moment or so. Though Virgil knew that they were  _well_ past the point where Dee might go running off to tell their father all of this (due at least in part to the fact that their father was  _deceased_ ), it was a testament to the environment that Virgil grew up in that he still felt a sense of residual fear when it came to admitting this much out loud. Dee's resounding silence didn't help matters either.   
  
_"As you might have expected, the hat suggested Slytherin for me,"_ Dee admitted, to no one's surprise. What followed after, on the other hand?  _"It also suggested Ravenclaw."_   
  
This time, it was everyone  _else_ who fell silent.   
  
Logan was the first to break it.  _"I could see it."_ He stroked his chin, observing Dee.  _"You do embody many Slytherin-associated traits. You are shrewd, cunning, ambitious, and a strong leader. That said, I believe we have seen you embody a number of Ravenclaw-associated traits as well. I believe that you would have made a lovely addition to my house. You as well, Virgil."_   
  
Dee chuckled.  _"I suppose if we're getting sappy...perhaps I ought to admit that I feel that you would have made for an impressive addition to the Slytherin house as well, Logan?"_   
  
There was an odd noise at the window, causing Virgil to jump. At least he wasn't the only one in this instance - Patton was startled as well, and Roman nearly fell out of his chair.   
  
_"An owl? Strange, I didn't think any of us were expecting an owl,"_ Logan frowned.   
  
_"It's probably Chelsea warning us that Era has had another prophecy. Those always seem to come at the most opportune moments, right Virgil?"_ Dee smirked.   
  
Virgil rolled his eyes and flipped Dee off in response to his brother's obvious attempt at teasing, though he admittedly wasn't  _wrong_ ...   
  
Roman made his way over to the window and opened it, allowing the owl inside. It deposited an envelope into Roman's hand. Roman looked down at the envelope as he walked back over to the group. Once he got there, he handed the envelope to Patton.   
  
_"Me?"_ Patton blinked in surprise.   
  
_"Your name is on the envelope,"_ Roman replied. Patton eyed the envelope in his hands with a confused expression, but slowly tore it open and began to read the letter within. He let out a gasp, his eyes going wide. Virgil's stomach lurched.   
  
_"What? What is it?"_ Roman eyed his husband concernedly. Whatever this was, Virgil was fairly certain that Roman had every reason in the  _world_ to be concerned.   
  
_"It's from Seth. He says that Mabel is at Hogwarts..."_


	23. Chapter 23

Virgil stared at Patton, _certain_ that he must have heard incorrectly. But Logan, Roman, and Dee all bore similarly shocked expressions on their face, so either they _all_ heard wrong, or...  
  
Or Mabel, a girl who never received her Hogwarts letter, _somehow made it to Hogwarts_.   
  
\---------------------------------------------  
  
_"Are you guys absolutely sure that this is gonna work?"_ Mabel looked uneasily at her siblings.  
  
_"Even if it doesn't, we still have to try,"_ Junie replied.  
  
_"But you guys could get in serious trouble for doing this!"_ Mabel protested. _"I don't want...I don't want to get you guys in trouble."_  
  
_"That's too bad,"_ Junie told her. _"You wanna know why?"_   
  
Mabel blinked back in both surprise and confusion. Junie turned to her older brother, her partner in crime. _"You wanna tell her, Toby?"_  
  
Toby grinned. _"It doesn't matter whether this gets us in trouble or not. I don't_ care _about getting in trouble, especially not over something like this."_  
  
_"And neither do I,"_ Junie agreed.  
  
_"What about mum and dad? Won't they be upset when they find out?"_ Mabel protested.  
  
Junie grinned. _"Probably. But what are they gonna do about it? By the time they figure things out, you'll be halfway to Hogwarts!"_ She turned back to her older brother. _"It takes hours for the potion to wear off, doesn't it?"_   
  
Toby shrugged. _"Depends on how well it's been brewed. I bummed some off of Roman when he and Patton were staying with us, which means that Logan probably brewed it. So it's probably pretty high quality, all things considered."_  
  
_"So what are we going to do when the potion wears out?"_ Mabel frowned.  
  
_"We'll be at Hogwarts by that point!"_ Toby smiled. _"Polyjuice is one of the first potions taught to seventh year NEWT students."_  
  
_"How do you even know that?"_ Junie arched an eyebrow. _"You're only going into your fourth year, and Patton didn't even take potions."_  
  
_"Virgil and Adam did, though, and I heard them talking about it,"_ Toby explained.  
  
_"...okay, but how does that help us?"_ Junie asked. _"Doesn't Polyjuice take a while to brew, like weeks? We don't have weeks."_  
  
_"Yeah, it'll take a while before the potions the students brew are ready,"_ Toby acknowledged. _"But the professor usually shows off a pretty big vat of it in one of the first classes so that students can try to guess what it is. I figure we can steal some of that while we learn how to make it ourselves."_  
  
In all honesty, Toby didn't put as much thought into this plan as his sisters believed. Junie and Mabel were each posing questions that left Toby feeling a _little_ uncomfortable, but he was fairly certain that they could pull this off. Junie was _adamant_ that Mabel get a chance to go to Hogwarts, and Toby agreed with the sentiment.  
  
Their solution? Mabel go to Hogwarts disguised as Junie, while Junie stayed home disguised as Mabel. The potion would wear off eventually, revealing Junie to their parents, but by that point Mabel and Toby would already be on their way to Hogwarts with the rest of the Hogwarts students. Junie would explain to their parents what happened, and...  
  
Hopefully their parents would accept their attempt to do right by their younger sister? It _wasn't fair_ that Mabel had to miss out on something the rest of them got the chance to enjoy, something that she looked forward to ever since she watched Patton go off to Hogwarts for the first time so many years ago, _just_ because she hadn't shown any signs of childhood magic. Their parents _knew_ how devastated Mabel was. Toby and Junie even heard them talking about how they'd do _anything_ to make Mabel happy.  
  
So surely they'd support Toby and Junie's extensive efforts to ensure _just that_...wouldn't they?  
  
Toby and Junie were both fully convinced that they were doing the right thing, and Mabel...she was worried for her siblings, but she was also _excited_ that the moment she'd dreamed of for so long had finally arrived. It was unfair to deny this to her on the basis of some stupid _fluke_, especially when Hogwarts _did_ have classes to offer Mabel. Even if she could not cast spells, she could still work on Potions. She could still take Care of Magical Creatures. There were still _plenty_ of classes at Hogwarts that did not necessarily require the use of wandwork.  
  
For the most part, Toby didn't want his sister to get caught out of fear of what might happen...but there was a small part of him that _did_ want her to get caught, if only for the _statement_ that it would make.

Mabel still looked hesitant. She turned to Junie. _"But if I go to Hogwarts disguised as you, you won't..."_  
  
_"Go to Hogwarts? Yeah, I know,"_ Junie shrugged. _"Big deal. It's not worth going to Hogwarts without my little sister. So_ go_. Have a blast."_  
  
_"But.."_  
  
_"No buts,"_ Junie cut in before Mabel could continue. _"Go. I'm not going to argue with you on this. It's either you go and I stay home or we_ both _stay home, because I'm not getting on that train,"_ Junie folded her arms across her chest.  
  
Mabel stared at her sister for a moment, then ran up to her and threw her arms around her, burying her face in Junie's shoulder. _"Thank you."_  
  
Junie smiled, putting her arms around her younger sister. _"No problem."_  
  
And with that, Mabel, disguised as Junie, climbed aboard the Hogwarts express. Junie, disguised as Mabel, watched proudly as her sister waved from the window, positively _beaming_ in delight.   
  
Her parents would undoubtedly have something to say when they found out what happened. But it was _1000%_ worth it to see that look on Mabel's face, and Junie would never forget that.


	24. Chapter 24

For the first time, Virgil fully _understood_ how frustrating it was that mobile phones were not allowed at Hogwarts. Sending someone a text, or calling them, was _so_ much easier than having to wait for owls to cart their letters around. With no offense intended toward the owls, of course; in fact, they'd probably _prefer_ the chance to just relax and do their own thing more often, as opposed to being expected to fly letters and packages around consistantly.  
  
But all of that was beside the point.  
  
The letter that Seth sent _did_ answer a few of Virgil's questions, at least. Not that he was the only one with questions by _any_ means.  
  
_"According to this, Toby snuck her on to the train!"_ Patton gasped.  
  
_"How is that even possible?"_ Logan frowned. _"One would assume she would have been caught almost right away. She should not have made it all the way to the castle before she was caught. I...do presume she was caught once she arrived at Hogwarts?"_  
  
_"Nope!"_ Patton replied. _"Says here that Toby didn't tell anyone other than Seth and August!"_  
  
_"Every child who shows an inclination toward magic has their name written into the Book of Admittance by the Quill of Acceptance. Only names written within the Book of Admittance receive a Hogwarts letter. Mabel never received a letter, thus it can be inferred that her name was never entered into the Book of Admittance,"_ Logan explained. _"One can therefore assume that once the school realizes that her name is not on the student list, she will be sent home."_  
  
_"Way to rain on everyone's parade, sheesh,"_ Roman frowned.  
  
_"How nice of you all to remember me,"_ Dee spoke up suddenly.  
  
The others turned to him in surprise. He waved, a smirk making it's way onto his face. _"No one has snuck into Hogwarts undetected before, so of course it's impossible. That seems like sound enough reasoning to me."_  
  
Virgil's eyes went wide.  
  
_"You snuck into Hogwarts as Adam Aceti,"_ Roman blurted out, having come to the same conclusion that Virgil did.  
  
Dee clapped his hands together, as if applauding Roman for a job well done.  
  
_"So it_ is _possible to sneak into Hogwarts if your name - or your assumed name - hasn't been pencilled into the Book of Acceptance or whatever it's called!"_ Roman called out triumphantly.

_"Firstly, it is the Book of Admittance,"_ Logan replied. _"Secondly, there were extenuating circumstances where Dee was involved. A member of the staff knew of his true identity and posed as his uncle, for one. Also, Dee posed as an exchange student who previously attended another school before arriving to Hogwarts, therefore offering a reasonable bypass to the Book of Admittance. I do not see the same excuse working for Mabel, who is a first year. Please do not take my argument to mean that I am pleased about this. I would prefer Mabel be permitted to attend Hogwarts as well. I just do not foresee it happening under conventional circumstances!"_  
  
Patton let out another gasp.  
  
"What's up?" Virgil asked via his phone.  
  
Patton shook his head. _"I don't know whether to be outraged or proud..."_  
  
_"This ought to be good,"_ Dee chuckled.  
  
_"Why do you say that?"_ Roman asked, voicing the question on _all_ of their minds.  
  
_"Because she's been Polyjuiced!"_ Patton announced. _"Where did they even get Polyjuice?! Toby is only a fourth year!"_  
  
_"I believe I can answer that,"_ Roman responded, somewhat reluctantly. _"While we were staying with your parents, I noticed that I had a smaller amount of Polyjuice potion in my stores than I originally thought."_  
  
"Why did you even have Polyjuice Potion stored?" Virgil arched an eyebrow.  
  
_"I brewed it for him,"_ Logan replied. _"He wanted to have it in his possession in case of an emergency, and seeing how it has benefited us in the past, I agreed to do so. That being said, I did so with the expectation that it would be handled with care."_ He folded his arms across his chest, casting a stern look in Roman's direction.  
  
_"I did handle it with care!"_ Roman protested.  
  
_"Allowing a fourteen year old access to such a powerful and dangerous potion is handling said potion with care?"_ Logan huffed.

_"I did not intend for him to access it!"_ Roman snapped back.  
  
_"Guys, is that really what's important here?"_ Patton interjected.  
  
Logan and Roman fell silent.  
  
_"I suppose not,"_ Logan conceded.

_"She's taken Polyjuice Potion?"_ Dee asked.  
  
Patton nodded.  
  
_"Should we not be asking who she disguised herself as?"_ Dee asked.  
  
Everyone exchanged glances at that, because Dee presented a _very_ good point with this question. It was one thing to say that Mabel used Polyjuice to disguise herself, but...who did she disguise herself as? 

_"Why did they write to us to tell us this anyway?" _ Roman wondered. _"What do they expect us to do?"_

_"Help,"_ Patton answered quietly.

"What?" Virgil asked, certain that he must have misheard.

_"They want us to help,"_ Patton clarified.


	25. Chapter 25

"They want us to help?" Virgil, much to his own surprise, was the first to break the silence. He thought for _sure_ someone would have said something before he finished typing.  
  
_"How do they want us to help? Do they want us to owl them a steady supply of Polyjuice Potion?"_ Roman wondered.  
  
_"I think we could do a bit more than that,"_ Logan pointed out.  
  
_"What is this? Logan Dicax, actively conspiring to break the rules? Surely this cannot be,"_ Dee gasped.  
  
_"Oh hush, I assisted you last year as well,"_ Logan rolled his eyes.

_"Patton, how do you feel about all of this?"_ Roman eyed his husband concernedly.  
  
_"I'm having mixed feelings,"_ Patton confessed. _"I'm worried. What will happen if they get caught? They haven't even taken their OWLs yet. What if they get expelled? But...I guess, more than anything else...I'm really proud of them."_  
  
Patton looked around sheepishly, as if waiting for someone to chastise him. When no one did, he continued. _"She's been dreaming of going to Hogwarts since I got my letter."_  
  
Roman blinked in surprise. _"But that was eight years ago! That means she's been waiting for her Hogwarts letter since she was..."_  
  
_"Three years old,"_ Patton smiled sadly. _"Then she watched as August, Seth, and Toby received theirs five years later."_  
  
_"Did they each receive their own letter, or did they receive one letter addressed to the three of them?"_ Logan wondered. _"I've always been curious as to how that works with twins, triplets, and other multiple births."_  
  
_"They each received their own letter!"_ Patton replied.  
  
_"Goodness, how environmentally conscious of them,"_ Dee remarked sarcastically.  
  
Virgil let out a snort.  
  
_"Anyway, she was even more excited with August, Seth, and Toby because she had a better understanding of what was happening. Once she found out what houses the triplets were sorted into, she and Junie started discussing what houses they thought they belonged in!"_ Patton continued. _"And then they sorted each other!"_  
  
_"Did the house Mabel and Junie picked for Junie match the house she was eventually sorted into?"_ Dee wondered.  
  
_"It did, actually. I'm not too surprised that Junie was sorted into a different house than August, Seth, and I. Like Toby, she's always prided herself on straying from the beaten path,"_ Patton grinned.  
  
"What house was Mabel in?" Virgil asked Patton.  
  
_"When she and Junie played Hogwarts, Mabel usually picked Hufflepuff. She also liked Gryffindor, but she didn't think she was brave enough for it,"_ Patton explained.  
  
Roman looked incredulous. _"She snuck into Hogwarts! That takes moxie, no matter what way you look at it!"_  
  
Which was, of course, a fair point.

Patton sighed. _"It doesn't seem fair, does it? That she had to watch all of us go to Hogwarts, looking forward to the day she'd get to join us, only for the door to slam in her face once she got there?"_  
  
_"It doesn't,"_ Roman agreed.  
  
_"Which is why I'm glad they took matters into their own hands!"_ Patton blurted out. _"I'm scared for them, because I'm scared of what might happen if they get caught. I don't know if anyone's ever done something like this before!"_  
  
_"I do not believe that they have,"_ Logan replied. _"A Muggle and/or a Squib sneaking into Hogwarts is an incredibly noteworthy event. If it happened in the past, it would have been noted."_  
  
_"If they got caught, that is,"_ Dee smirked.  
  
_"Either way, these kids are making history,"_ Roman grinned, a note of pride in his voice.

_Are they, though? Can it be said that they are making history if no one knows what they have accomplished?"_ Dee noted.  
  
_"You're not suggesting we should turn them in, are you?"_ Roman eyed Dee suspiciously.  
  
Dee folded his arms across his chest and arched an eyebrow _"Does it sound as though I am suggesting that?"_  
  
_"...kinda, yeah,"_ Patton admitted.  
  
_"You think the_ wanted fugitive _is suggesting we turn a few preteens and teenagers in for breaking a stupid rule?"_ Dee snorted.  
  
_"I'm surprised,"_ Roman said suddenly. _"You went to jail for planting cursed objects on those who weren't of pure blood. Now you're saying that a rule specifically targeted toward squibs and those of supposedly 'lesser' blood is stupid?"_  
  
Virgil frowned. Why was Roman bringing this up?  
  
_"You've come a long way. I'm impressed,"_ Roman declared.  
  
And as much as Dee tried, he could not hope to fight back the smile that crept it's way onto his face at these words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has nothing to do with the story, but I feel the need to mention it anyway, because it's been on my mind a LOT today. Please don't read any further into this note if you are triggered by mentions of gun violence or school shootings.
> 
> There was another mass shooting in the news today. The school affected was my younger cousin's high school. From what I heard, she was just pulling into the parking lot when it happened. A few other students hopped into her car and they drove off.
> 
> And now I've discovered that the shooter lived just down the block from my or shootings. My aunt and cousins are blowing up social media with updates right now.
> 
> So yeah. Still processing all of that. :/


	26. Chapter 26

Despite their desire to assist Patton's siblings with their ruse, there was only so much that they could do. None of them attended Hogwarts anymore. Roman began to suggest they meet up with the triplets and Mabel in Hogsmeade, but Dee quickly pointed out that students were still barred from Hogsmeade after the attacks the year prior.  
  
Virgil did have one idea, an idea that might actually _work_. It was incredibly risky, though, and Virgil hoped that it wouldn't come back to bite Patton's siblings...  
  
\------------------------  
  
_"We're so screwed,"_ August groaned.  
  
_"Would you stop freaking out? Mabel's been taking her potion regularly. There's no_ way _they found us out,"_ Seth assured his brother.  
  
_"I wouldn't say there's no way-"_ Toby began, but August cut him off.  
  
_"See? Toby agrees with me!"_ he proclaimed.  
  
_"Dude, this is between you and Seth,"_ Toby snorted. _"Don't drag me into this."_  
  
_"Says the guy that snuck our littlest sister into Hogwarts then dragged us in to the whole thing to help!"_ August countered.  
  
_"You agreed to help, I didn't drag you into anything!"_ Toby retorted.  
  
_"Well duh, what did you expect us to do?"_ Seth's eyebrow shot upward. _"We're not gonna let you have_ all _the fun by yourself. Besides, Mabel deserves it,"_ he grinned.  
  
_"But honestly, why else would a professor want to talk to us? Since when do professors want to talk to any of the three of us outside of class?"_ August frowned. _"There's only one explanation. They're on to us!"_  
  
_"Or maybe they want to talk to us about our OWLs?"_ Seth suggested.  
  
_"In our fourth year? That's jumping the gun a bit, isn't it?"_ August replied.  
  
_"And since when do professors have conversations like that with three students at once? It's usually a one on one thing, isn't it? But they called all three of us,"_ Toby sighed, chewing on one of his nails. _"No, this is something that has to do with all three of us."_  
  
_"Maybe something happened back home?"I mean if they're gathering up everybody in our family..."_ Seth frowned.

_"I don't even want to think about that,"_ Toby shuddered. The thought of August's stay in the hospital came rushing back to him at once.  
  
_"Was Mabel called to see him too?"_ Seth wondered.  
  
_"I'm not sure; she'd be up in Ravenclaw Tower so it's hard to tell,"_ August frowned. _"She'd be coming from upstairs, so it's not like we'd run into her like we did with Toby."_  
  
The three arrived at the door of a familiar office.  
  
_"Wait, we're meeting in Professor Picani's office?"_ Toby's eyes went wide, and a grin broke across his features. _"Maybe we're not in trouble after all!"_  
  
_"Professor Picani's a sweet guy, but I'm sure he can be strict when he needs to be,"_ August frowned. _"I don't think we're in the clear yet."_  
  
_"He...he comforted me when we didn't know where you guys were during the...the attack in Hogsmeade,"_ Toby admitted. _"I'd rather deal with Picani than with any other professor at Hogwarts."_  
  
_"Me too,"_ Seth agreed. _"But we still have to be careful. There's a good chance he doesn't know what's going on."_  
  
_"Then why would he call us to his office?"_ August questioned.  
  
_"I don't-"_ Seth started, but Toby spoke up before he could finish his reply.  
  
_"We're here,"_ the Slytherin announced.

August and Seth both noticed that he appeared to be in higher spirits now that he knew they were meeting with Professor Picani; he even walked up to the door and knocked on it himself, rather than wait for the other two to do so.  
  
_"Wow, you're turning into quite the social butterfly,"_ August teased.  
  
_"Right? Who are you and what have you done to our brother?!"_ Seth demanded in mock outrage, the grin on his face making it abundantly clear that he was joining in with August's teasing.  
  
_"Oh get over yourselves,"_ Toby rolled his eyes, though the corners of his mouth twitched upward.  
  
The three froze at the sound of the door in front of them opening.  
  
Professor Picani beamed, humming the song that the three Muggleborn boys immediately recognized.  
  
_"That's the song that plays before Looney Tunes!"_ August gasped at once.  
  
_"The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down!"_ Professor Picani grinned.  
  
_"That's...nice? I'm not sure what that has to do with anything-"_ Toby frowned.  
  
_"The London Eye acted up when Patton, Roman, and Adam were on it this summer,"_ Seth pointed out. _"Maybe that's what he's referring to?"_ Seth turned to Professor Picani for confirmation.  
  
Instead, Professor Picani chuckled. _"A very good guess, but nope! I was still referring to the song I was humming! The song is called The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down, and it is indeed the song that plays before Looney Tunes! I'm glad you youngins are still familiar with the classics."_  
  
A familiar giggle sounded from behind Professor Picani. _"You're not_ that _old,"_ a girl's voice said.  
  
_"You're right, I'm not,"_ Professor Picani chuckled. _"Some of the original cartoons came out before my parents were even born!"_  
  
Toby, August, and Seth were far less concerned by this conversation than they were with the fact that Mabel was sitting in Professor Picani's office. And it wasn't Mabel disguised as Junie, it was Mabel as _herself_.  
  
Professor Picani _knew_. But how? And did anyone else know?

Whatever the case, Mabel herself didn't look too concerned...


	27. Chapter 27

The triplets stepped into Professor Picani's office. Professor Picani quickly closed the door behind them, then pointed his hand at the door. _"Muffliato!"_ he incanted.  
  
_"Well that takes care of that!"_ Professor Picani announced with a grin, setting his wand down. _"You three are free to take seats, if you'd like!"_  
  
_"You know,"_ August observed, a stunned expression on his face.  
  
_"Know? Of course I know! I know a lot of things! They wouldn't have made me a professor if I didn't?"_ Professor Picani chuckled, but there was a twinkle in his eye as he did so.  
  
_"You know about Mabel,"_ Seth clarified, glancing over at Mabel before returning his attention to Professor Picani. _"How did you find out?"_  
  
_"A little birdie told me,"_ Professor Picani responded with a smile.  
  
_"A birdie?"_ Toby raised an eyebrow.  
  
_"An owl. I received an owl,"_ Professor Picani chuckled. _"You did send a letter to your brother asking him for help, didn't you?"_  
  
August's eyes widened. _"And he told_ you_?"_  
  
_"Well, yes, and I believe that is the best thing he could have done, given the situation,"_ Professor Picani admitted.  
  
_"So when should we start packing our bags?"_ Seth asked in a tired voice.  
  
_"By my calculations, the best time to do so would be around mid December? If you intend to travel home for the holidays, that is!"_ Professor Picani responded cheerfully.  
  
_"...the holidays? We're not expelled?"_ August's eyes went wide in surprise.

_"Expelled? Heavens no! Where would you get an awful idea like that?"_ Professor Picani frowned.  
  
_"Well you_ are _a professor,"_ Toby pointed out.  
  
_"I am! Thank you for noticing!"_ Professor Picani grinned. _"And as a professor, it is part of my job to report serious violations against the rules of this institution!"_  
  
Toby's stomach rolled. _"But I thought you said-"_  
  
_"That you'd be staying at Hogwarts? That is correct! As I said, it is part of my job to report serious violations against the rules of this institution,"_ Professor Picani acknowledged. _"I just don't think this particular infraction requires expulsion! I think detention will do nicely."_  
  
_"Detention?!"_ August gasped.  
  
_"Sure! I believe a visit to this room once a week should do the trick!"_ Professor Picani informed them.  
  
_"Once a week? For how long?"_ Seth was aghast. Detention was better than expulsion, but still...detention wasn't his idea of a good time.  
  
_"Oh, I dunno, how often do you think you'll need a new supply of potion?"_ Professor Picani smiled, pulling open a drawer beneath his desk and retrieving a small vial of potion from within.  
  
_"You're giving us Polyjuice Potion?"_ Seth blurted out.  
  
_"Seems a lot easier than raiding the Potions classroom, doesn't it?"_ Professor Picani chuckled.  
  
_"These detentions...they're not actually detentions at all, are they Professor Picani?"_ Toby realized.  
  
Professor Picani held up his hands in mock surrender. _"Oops, ya got me! No, I just want to make sure that everything goes as smoothly for you as possible. I have nothing against Mabel's presence in this school! But you guys are playing around with some advanced magic, and I think it would be better if you had a bit of adult supervision. Not because I don't trust you to do it! But in the event that something goes wrong, it's nice knowing you have someone you can go to for help. And I'm a lot closer to the action than your brother and friends,"_ Professor Picani winked.

_"Yeah...thanks for helping us out and not turning us in,"_ Seth managed a small smile.  
  
_"No problem! If Mabel wants to attend Hogwarts, she should be permitted to attend Hogwarts! Did you know that one of the four founders of the biggest American wizarding school was a Muggle himself?" _ Professor Picani noted.

_"...are you trying to turn these so-called 'detention' sessions into history lessons? I'm on to you, Picani,"_ Toby folded his arms across his chest.

_"What? No! I'd never do such a thing!" _ Professor Picani gave a smile that contained more than just a hint of mischief. _"Besides, History of Magical isn't my subject. Muggle Studies is!" _he reminded them.

_"...which is why you're teaching us that Ilvermorny had a Muggle founder,"_ Seth observed.

Professor Picani just shrugged, still smiling. He popped the cork off of the potion and turned to the triplets and Mabel.

_"Now, I assume you have a steady supply of bits of Junie's hair and/or nails that we can use in the potion?"_ Professor Picani asked.  
  
August and Seth looked to Toby, who nodded and retrieved a small box containing some of Junie's hair. He handed it to Professor Picani, who took one of the hairs and added it to the potion before handing said potion over to Mabel.

_"Cheers,"_ Mabel said in a small voice before taking the potion. It wasn't long before she took on the appearance of Junie once more, and August, Seth, and Toby could let out a sigh of relief that everything seemed to be looking up for them.  
  
\------------------------  
  
Patton let out a whoop as he read the most recent owl they received. _"You guys were right! Professor Picani is going to help my brothers and sister!"_  
  
Dee let out a snort. _"Why wouldn't it work? Has he not been through this whole rigamarole already with yours truly?"_  
  
"If we can't help them ourselves, Professor Picani's our next best bet," Virgil agreed.  
  
_"Well I'm glad that ended well!"_ Patton smiled.  
  
"Did it, though?" Virgil wondered.  
  
_"...and just what is that supposed to mean?"_ Roman arched an eyebrow.  
  
_"There is still a lot of danger inherent in what they are trying to accomplish,"_ Logan noted. _"We had to go so far as to invent an entirely new potion for Dee to take so that his cover would not be blown in one of our classes."_  
  
_"Yeah, but what are the chances that a third year is going to have to take Polyjuice Potion in class?"_ Roman snickered.  
  
"Not very likely, but you never know what might happen at Hogwarts," Virgil replied, letting out a sigh.

That was something that Virgil, Dee, Logan, Roman, and Patton knew all too well.


	28. Chapter 28

Virgil didn't expect all of this talk about houses to stir up old memories. Now that he was out of Hogwarts, he expected to put most of that behind him. He'd come a long way since the days when he had to practically _beg_ the hat to put him into Slytherin out of fear of what might happen otherwise.  
  
So why did his mind want to _dwell_ on those times as if they were yesterday?  
  
_"You are distracted,"_ Logan observed. It was rare for the two of them to take a break at the same time at the planetarium, but the most recent show on the schedule finished moments before, and it was also time for Virgil's scheduled break.  
  
"When am I not?" Virgil noted.  
  
_"I know you well,"_ Logan pointed out. _"I'm fairly confident in my ability to recognize when you are 'distracted' in the typical sense, and when there is something in particular troubling you. This incidence falls into the latter category. You have responded to several of my questions with a detached tone and one word answers, and as you lifted your glass just a moment ago, I noticed ripples in the water that indicated a slight tremor in your hand."_  
  
...Virgil couldn't really argue with observations like _that_, could he?  
  
"I was thinking about sorting," Virgil admitted.  
  
_"Sorting? Sorting what?"_ Logan inquired.  
  
"Being sorted into houses at Hogwarts," Virgil clarified.  
  
_"What are you concerned about?"_ Logan asked.  
  
"It's not so much concerns, it's 'what ifs' I keep thinking about what might have happened if I'd done things differently," Virgil explained. "I know what you're going to say. You're going to say there's no use dwelling on the past, on things you can't change, but I can't help it!"  
  
_"Falsehood,"_ Logan responded. _"That was not what I was going to say."_  
  
Virgil blinked in surprise.  
  
_"First, there are a number of flaws with the sorting system as it stands at Hogwarts. Students are sorted at the age of eleven, a crucial point in the development of one's identity. Each of the houses carries with it a set of stereotypes, and these stereotypes may influence a child to desire a certain house, or avoid another. In addition, after a child is sorted, they may even feel as though they need to alter their behavior and views in an attempt to better align with their peers. That being said, I am not against the sorting system in it's entirety. The houses can foster a sense of belonging within their members, something that many of Hogwarts age crave. From a purely organizational standpoint, they make it easier to maintain order within a large school that might otherwise be more difficult to manage. One could argue that the different years do that well enough, but sorting students by year only divides the school into sevenths. Those seven groups are still incredibly large. Take each of those seven groups and divide them into four, however, and you get twenty-eight. You get a sample size that is a lot easier to manage."_  
  
Virgil was surprised at how much thought Logan put into this.

_"You are far from the only person who has contemplated 'what ifs' in regards to your sorting ceremony,"_ Logan assured him.  
  
"I know," Virgil responded.  
  
_"It is natural to feel curious about these things, especially if you are displeased with the results,"_ Logan noted.  
  
"I'm not displeased with the results," Virgil frowned as he pressed play.  
  
_"Oh?"_ Now it was Logan's turn to be caught off guard.  
  
"There are definitely parts of my past that I don't look back on fondly, but if those parts of my past were to change, who else knows what might change along with it?" Virgil pointed out. "I might have never met you guys, or at least developed the same sort of relationship we have now."  
  
_"A fair point, though you could also consider the possibility that you might have built such relationships sooner,"_ Logan mused.  
  
"Oh believe me, I've considered that too," Virgil confessed.  
  
_"I should probably confess...I was not going to bring it up, but in this instance I feel that it may help you,"_ Logan began.  
  
Virgil looked to Logan in surprise.   
  
_"You may recall that I mentioned that the sorting hat sorted me into Ravenclaw with ease? The process of my sorting was a tad more complicated than I let on,"_ Logan admitted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize that these chapters are a bit shorter than they used to be. I'm still trying to keep up with an every other day posting schedule, and sometimes it's a lot easier to manage than others. Hope you guys don't mind, and as always, thank you for your support! <3


	29. Chapter 29

Much to Virgil's chagrin, the two had to go back to work before Logan could divulge what he meant.   
  
_"I promise that we will talk about this later,"_ Logan assured him.  
  
Virgil wished he could say that it helped, but the lack of closure only ensured that Virgil would dwell _more_ on the subject. It wasn't Logan's fault, and Virgil knew that Logan did his best to comfort him. It was just the way that Virgil's mind worked.  
  
At least Virgil had an idea of what they were going to talk _about_. That helped in itself. He _hated_ when people would simply tell him that 'they needed to talk', because that gave away _nothing_ and his mind would always go to greater and greater lengths to fill in the blanks, often latching on to the worst case scenarios and playing them over and over again.  
  
_In for four seconds, hold for seven seconds, out for eight seconds,_ he told himself. This was going to be about Logan's sorting ceremony. Logan wasn't going to _break up_ with him or anything.  
  
...Merlin, why did he even _think_ about that?  
  
It didn't help either that Virgil's shift was over before Logan's was, which meant that Virgil didn't even have _work_ to distract him as he waited for the show that Logan was working on to finish. He let out a breath that he didn't even realize he was holding as Logan strode out from the main theater, glancing around the lobby and smiling when he spotted Virgil.  
  
_"I apologize. The show went a bit later than I expected. The audience had a lot of questions. Those are the best shows, when the audience is fully engaged,"_ Logan informed him.  
  
Virgil could not help but smile at his boyfriend's enthusiasm. Logan really seemed to be in his element, teaching others about Astronomy. "I should go to one some time."  
  
_"Yes, you should!"_ Logan responded. _"Though it will, of course, have to be one that happens on a day that you are not working,"_ he mused.  
  
Virgil nodded. Either a day he wasn't working, or a day where he got off early enough to catch one of Logan's shows. That wasn't today; by the time his shift ended, Logan was already halfway through the show that just let out.  
  
The two headed outside, figuring that they were less likely to be interrupted or eavesdropped upon if they were outside. Many of the planetarium's visitors were still in the lobby, either conversing with one another about the show or making their way toward the gift shop. Virgil was grateful that the area _he_ worked in didn't have so many people and was closed off to the general public. He still got to contribute in his own way, but he didn't have to deal with large crowds. Logan might be an introvert too, but he was much better equipped to handle the crowds than Virgil was.  
  
_"I apologize that I left you on a bit of a cliffhanger earlier,"_ Logan confessed once they were seated on a bench outside of the planetarium.  
  
Virgil shrugged. "No big," he said through his phone.  
  
Logan let out a sigh. _"I have to admit, this...worked out for the better, on my part at least. It gave me a bit more time to sort out my thoughts."_  
  
Virgil nodded, waiting for Logan to continue.  
  
_"I mentioned that the sorting hat sorted me into Ravenclaw with ease, only considering Slytherin in passing? I...I may have conjured up a falsehood that fit my own narrative better,"_ he admitted.  
  
"A falsehood? You?" Virgil teased, smirking to make up for what the text to speech program lacked in tone.  
  
Logan let out a snort. _"Yes, even I am capable of them on occasion."_  
  
"My entire understanding of the world has shifted," Virgil grinned.  
  
Logan rolled his eyes but chuckled. _"In truth, the hat wished to place me into Slytherin."_  
  
"It did?" Virgil was taken aback by that admission. He thought that Logan would state that the hat was a bit more persistent, but not that he would admit _outright_ that the hat wanted to place him into a house other than Ravenclaw. "But you were sorted into Ravenclaw."

_"I was, and the hat did sense Ravenclaw qualities within me. It did, however, prefer Slytherin,"_ Logan told Virgil.  
  
Virgil was stunned. Had Virgil and Logan accepted the hat's first judgement cast upon them? Their houses would have been reversed. Virgil would have wound up in Ravenclaw, and Logan would have been a Slytherin.  
  
"Why didn't you want to be a Slytherin?" Virgil asked. "The reputation?"  
  
_"Merlin, no. I was aware of Slytherin's reputation, yes, but that was not the motivation behind my decision. Had the hat suggested Hufflepuff or Gryffindor, my reaction would have been the same,"_ Logan revealed.  
  
"You weren't avoiding Slytherin, you were requesting Ravenclaw," Virgil realized.  
  
_"Precisely. Looking back, I recognize that my views were flawed. I strove to join the Ravenclaw house because Ravenclaws placed value on intelligence,"_ Logan noted. _"And..."_ Logan faltered for a momentx as if unsure whether to go on. Virgil nodded to him as if to tell him that it was alright to do so.  
  
Logan cleared his throat. _"I was confident in my intellect at that point in my life. In truth, it was the_ only _thing I was confident in. When the sorting hat suggested a house other than Ravenclaw, I panicked. Was my confidence misplaced? Looking back, I believe that the sorting hat suggested Slytherin not to disparage me, or to suggest that I was not intelligent enough for Ravenclaw, but because it saw strengths within me pertaining to the Slytherin house that I failed to see within myself."_  
  
It sounded as though Logan had come a long way. They all had, honestly. And that was honestly a reminder that he sorely needed at this point in time.


	30. Chapter 30

It was good to see everyone again, Virgil had to admit.  
  
Well, not _everyone_. Astrit was at Hogwarts. But this was the first time that Chelsea, Era, Elliott, and Shane visited the quintet's new home.  
  
Era brought with her news of Astrit's time at Hogwarts. He, like Virgil, did not react well to the Imperius Curse, which Virgil was not surprised to hear. Astrit's first experience with the Imperius Curse was during his _third year_, after all, and Virgil suspected that Astrit liked to think about that time as little as _he_ did.  
  
In brighter news, Astrit showed the triplets the abandoned classroom on the fourth floor that they'd used to meet up with one another for years. Virgil was happy to hear that the fourth floor classroom was still being put to use.  
  
Virgil noticed that Patton was oddly absent during much of this, both mentally _and_ physically. He wasn't even in the room with the others half the time, and when he was, it seemed as though he had something on his mind. This struck Virgil as odd, as Patton usually _loved_ these sorts of get togethers. He'd only seen Patton like this once before, and that was when...  
  
Virgil felt his stomach lurch as he rose to his feet. Logan turned to him in confusion. Virgil mimed bringing a glass of water to his lips, figuring it would be easier to use gestures than to type it out on his phone. Logan nodded, then went back to conversing with the others.  
  
Virgil strode into the kitchen, where Patton was standing over a book.  
  
"You okay Pat?" Virgil asked through his phone.  
  
Patton jolted, and Virgil remembered that Patton tended to be just as jumpy as _he_ was these days. Guilt immediately coursed through him, and he was half tempted to turn around and head back to the living room. This was _not_ a good start.  
  
_"Yep, peachy keen!"_ Patton smiled cheerily.  
  
Virgil folded his arms across his chest and raised an eyebrow.  
  
_"...yeah that one was pretty easy to see through, wasn't it?"_ Patton admitted. _"But really, I'm...not that bad? It's hard to explain!"_  
  
Virgil furrowed his brow in confusion as he tried to figure out what Patton was getting at. What was on his mind? _Something_ was on his mind. But then, why wouldn't something be on his mind? He'd been _off_ since everything that happened with Remus, but who could blame him?  
  
Was Virgil going about this the wrong way? Was it better to just leave Patton be? Maybe he had a hard time dealing with large amounts of people now?  
  
_"...oh no,"_ Patton's eyes went wide. _"I don't...shoot, I'm sorry, Virgil!"_  
  
Virgil blinked in surprise. He was expecting Patton to open up, but...apologize? What for?  
  
_"This doesn't have to do with Remus, I promise,"_ Patton assured him. _"I am still working through all that, don't get me wrong, but that's not what this is about! It's just..._ gosh_, this is a lot!"_ he confessed.

Virgil knew that Patton was trying to comfort him, but he was grew more and more worried the longer it took for Patton to say what was bothering him.  
  
_"I found out something about my family. Something really big,"_ Patton admitted at last.   
  
"Is it something good or something bad?" Virgil asked.  
  
_"Honestly? I think that remains to be seen. It certainly changes things,"_ Patton replied. _"I...I'm going to tell everyone else, but can I practice on you first?"_  
  
Virgil's eyes widened slightly.  
  
_"I know, it's a lot to ask, but...I dunno, I'm having a hard time figuring things out myself, and I haven't even told the rest of my family about it yet! I just...don't know how it'll effect them, you know?"_ Patton admitted.  
  
Virgil nodded, trying to be as supportive as he could be. He _understood_ why it was taking Patton so long to say what he wanted to say, but the suspense was _killing_ him.  
  
Patton cleared his throat. _"I...I think my grandpa was a wizard."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that this came out a little short. >.< I had a pretty busy day today so I didn't get a chance to write a huge one, but I hope this one is alright?


	31. Chapter 31

Once he practiced with Virgil, Patton was ready to tell the others. As it was with Virgil, Patton's admission was the _last_ thing any of them expected to hear.  
  
...with the exception of one person.  
  
_"I figured as much,"_ Logan announced triumphantly. _"I've connected the dots."_  
  
_"You didn't connect shit,"_ Dee rolled his eyes.  
  
_"I've connected them,"_ Logan retorted.  
  
_"How did you work it out before Patton did, Logan?"_ Era asked, clearly trying to put a stop to whatever argument Logan and Dee were having.  
  
_"I admit, I did not realize that Patton's grandfather was the mystery wizard,"_ Logan admitted.  
  
_"Mystery wizard? Why does that sound like some sort of Muggle superhero?"_ Roman chuckled.  
  
_"I did, however, suspect that there was a wizard somewhere within Patton and his siblings' lineage,"_ Logan continued.  
  
"That's right, you did!" Virgil recalled. "That's when you started looking into wizard genetics."  
  
_"I admit, though, I expected the one with magic to be one of your parents,"_ Logan frowned.  
  
Patton shook his head. _"I don't think so. I've seen their school pictures and yearbooks and such. Neither of them went to Hogwarts for secondary school. The only reason I know that Grampy did is that...well, I was reading through old Daily Prophet articles in Dee's room and I saw my grandpa's name! He...was in some old Quidditch listings. My Grampy played Quidditch!"_  
  
_"Maybe it's just someone with a similar name to your grandfather?"_ Elliott pointed out.  
  
_"In the wizarding world? Highly unlikely,"_ Chelsea noted. _"Patton does have a fairly common last name, though..."_  
  
_"He was my mum's dad,"_ Patton mentioned. _"Mum's maiden name is O'Farrell. Plus I did a bit more research when I found his name, because I wanted to be sure. I found records of him going to Hogwarts. He was a Ravenclaw, like Junie!"_  
  
"Pat, didn't you say your Grampy used to do all sorts of magic tricks for you guys?" Virgil added once he managed to get it typed out.  
  
_"He did! How did you...oh yeah, I told you about it when we saw the thestrals a few years ago, didn't I?"_ Patton chuckled. _"Guess there was a reason his magic tricks seemed real after all."_  
  
_"I don't get it, though. If your grandpa was a wizard, why did it never come up when you guys started going to Hogwarts?"_ Shane wondered.  
  
_"He died before I received my letter. Before any of us did,"_ Patton told him quietly.  
  
Shane blanched at once. _"Sorry, I didn't know."_  
  
_"This still leads to a number of questions,"_ Logan remarked.

_"Tell me about it!"_ Chelsea agreed. _"Wouldn't your mother have been a witch if your grandfather was a wizard? Even if your grandmother was a Muggle, as I assume she was, the child of a Muggle and a wizard usually inherits magic ability? Take Logan, for example!"_  
  
_"Usually, but not always,"_ Logan replied. _"That leaves us with two options. The first? Patton's mother is, in fact, a witch, and did not desire to inform her children or her husband of this. I find this incredibly difficult to believe, as five out of six of her children have displayed magical prowess, and the easiest way to explain that to her husband would be to divulge that she, too, possessed magic."_  
  
_"What's the other option?"_ Patton frowned, looking more than a little distraught. Virgil presumed it was the thought of his mother hiding something _that big_ from he and his siblings.  
  
_"Is your mother an only child?"_ Logan questioned.  
  
_"What does_ that _have to do with anything?"_ Roman blurted out, incredulous.  
  
_"She is, why?"_ Patton blinked in puzzlement.  
  
_"Your mother's status as an only child lends credence to my other theory. Your grandfather was a wizard who married a Muggle, by the looks of it,"_ Logan began.  
  
When Patton nodded, Logan continued. _"I suspect that your grandfather never informed your grandmother that he was a wizard, and planned to do so when your mother received her Hogwarts letter."_  
  
Shane gasped. _"But she never received one!"_  
  
_"Precisely,"_ Logan remarked.  
  
_"So my mother was never a Muggle? She was a squib?"_ Patton's eyes went wide.  
  
_"In terms of her bloodline, yes. But as she was never aware of her magic lineage, she would never have known that she was anything other than a Muggle,"_ Logan responded.  
  
_"Why would he have kept that from her? That is a vital piece of her history that she has no knowledge of!"_ Roman gasped.  
  
_"Is it, though?"_ Era asked. _"If she never showed any magic ability, letting her know that there was a wizarding world that she might never be able to enter would be like shaking a gift in front of her face and then snatching it away at the last minute."_  
  
_"Just like what happened with Mabel. She was_ devastated _when she didn't receive her Hogwarts letter on her 11th birthday like the rest of us,"_ Patton sighed.  
  
"He was protecting her," Virgil realized.  
  
_"Which begs the question - Should we tell the rest of your family about this discovery or should we keep it mum?"_ Logan inquired.  
  
No one answered, because all of them knew that there was no easy answer to that question.


	32. Chapter 32

_"Isn't it awesome that they're going to sell a modified version of Elliott's dress from the wedding?"_ Patton asked Virgil, Logan, Dee, and Roman. The five were cleaning up after the others left.  
  
Virgil knew that Patton was trying to keep the subject off of his family. He might have told the others what was happening, but it was clear that he was still grappling with the discoveries he'd made. Virgil didn't blame him for wanting to take some time to process this.  
  
That being said, he was also thrilled to hear Elliott's announcement from earlier. He knew how much Elliott enjoyed designing their own outfits, and the thought that their passion was turning into a career opportunity for them was certainly a cause for celebration!  
  
_"And the dress is going to be marketed to_ everyone_,"_ Elliott insisted when they discussed it earlier. _"That was one of the things they had to agree to before I'd sell my design, that they wouldn't just throw it into the witch's section."_  
  
_"Good for you!"_ Chelsea grinned, holding out a hand for Elliott to high-five them. Elliott did so with a pleased grin on their own face.  
  
_"Have you heard anything from Paige?"_ Patton asked Era in the meantime. Virgil recalled feeling glad whe  
Patton asked this, as he'd been wondering where Paige was as well.  
  
_"Yeah, she was busy with work and couldn't make it,"_ Era replied. _"But she'd love to swing by the next time you do something if she's free then."_  
  
_"Maybe next time, we can plan something around the holidays? That way Astrit can come too, since he'll be off from Hogwarts,"_ Roman suggested. _"Unless your family has plans?"_  
  
Era shook her head. _"We don't celebrate Christmas, so it's not like we have any family gatherings to go to. Astrit's going to be staying with Chelsea and I over break instead of going back to Albania, so that he'll be closer to school when classes start up again. Should be easy to plan something around then. Maybe you guys can even check out our place!"_ Chelsea winked.  
  
_"Oooh, that would be lovely!"_ Patton beamed.  
  
_"Beats having to stay at home with my father,"_ Chelsea made a face. _"He's always been kind of an ass about blood, but he's really been showing his ass lately. I'm half tempted to tell him that I wrote that op-ed about The Council last year. I'm curious to see how he'd react."_  
  
_"You think your father might be involved with The Council?"_ Shane's eyes widened.  
  
_"Not directly, no. I don't think he's that brazen. But I don't think he has any problems with what they stand for,"_ Chelsea huffed, folding their arms across their chest.

"Seems to be pretty typical for a pureblood father," Virgil rolled his eyes.  
  
_"Well, I plan to be an exception to that rule,"_ Roman insisted.  
  
_"You'll make a wonderful father! Nothing like that...that..._ jerk _you were forced to call a father,"_ Patton huffed, his arms folded across his chest.  
  
Virgil could tell that Patton nearly said something _else_, but caught himself at the last minute. That Patton had to stop himself was a major testament to how much he disliked Edward Prince.  
  
Not that Virgil could blame him. The man went so far as to _kill_ who he _thought_ was Patton, something so cruel that even Roman did not see it coming.  
  
Virgil hated them too. The fact that he'd gotten to _know_ the Princes and was even on good terms with them while his memory was altered made Virgil loathe them _worse_, actually.  
  
Because he knew that they were not cold, unfeeling people by nature. They were capable of kindness and warmth, going so far as to show that warmth toward Virgil while he was under Linus' thumb. This meant that they made a deliberate _choice_ not to extend that kindness toward those they saw as beneath them.  
  
At least Linus always made it clear how much he disapproved of Virgil and favored Dee, even when they were young. At least Virgil knew where he _stood_ with Linus, with the exception of Linus' brief interest in Virgil when he first showcased his so-called 'gift' of Sight.  
  
Virgil suspected that there was a point when Roman was on better terms with his family. There was undoubtedly a _reason_ why they kept Roman over Remus, after all, as cruel as it sounded. That meant that they _had_ shown kindness to Roman at one point, choosing to withdraw it once he didn't fall into line.  
  
And Virgil had to imagine that hurt a lot more than never having had that sort of relationship in the first place.  
  
...actually, Virgil didn't have to imagine. He knew firsthand, because Linus implanted the false memories of a loving, doting father into his head. This ultimately proved to be his downfall when he could not keep up the act, and the real memories began to creep through before Logan cast the final spell that broke through the dam.  
  
Roman wouldn't be the only one to break with tradition. If Virgil and Logan ever had children, Virgil knew that he would never, _ever_ do what his father did to his child or children.  
  
And now he had a good father figure to model his behavior off of, he realized. Professor Picani, a man who was always there for him (and Dee, and _Roman_ for that matter) when they needed him most.  
  
Virgil would have to thank him the next time he saw him.


	33. Chapter 33

I commissioned a strip of one of the scenes in Chapter 30 of A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy (installment 4 of this series!). It was drawn by the absolutely amazing @robinsdraw on tumblr and I am absolutely stunned with the results. Hope you guys enjoy!


	34. Chapter 34

_"I've reached a decision,"_ Patton admitted to Virgil a few days later when they were working on breakfast.  
  
Virgil had a hard time sleeping the night before, and when he heard Patton moving about in the kitchen, he opted to join him. It wasn't like he was going to be able to roll over and fall back asleep, not with how _his_ night was going.  
  
"Decision about what?" Virgil asked through his phone.  
  
_"About what I'm going to do about what I found out about my grandfather,"_ Patton elaborated.  
  
Virgil figured as much, but wanted to make certain first before jumping to conclusions.

"What did you decide?" Virgil asked.  
  
_"I think my mum, at least, has a right to know at this point,"_ Patton replied. _"I'm sure she must have noticed a few things over the years..."_  
  
\------------------------  
  
Conor O'Farrell received all sorts of grief from his friends and family when he decided that he was going to marry a Muggle girl.  
  
_"You're giving up your Quidditch career for a Muggle? Are you absolutely mad?"_ one of his teammates sneered.  
  
Perhaps Conor _was_ mad. He certainly was madly in love, at any rate.  
  
He married Carol and together the two had a bouncing baby girl that they named Patricia.  
  
Conor knew that he ought to tell his wife about his magical abilities then. He really ought to have told her already, but he was admittedly worried as to how she would respond. And he and Carol had so much on their plate caring for little Patricia...it wouldn't hurt to wait until Patricia was a little older and started showing magical abilities of her own.  
  
But nothing happened.  
  
At first Conor thought that Patricia might be a late bloomer, or that she might have shown signs of magic that he missed. He decided that he'd tell his wife _and_ daughter of his magical lineage when Patricia received her Hogwarts letter around her 11th birthday. It would be easier to explain that way, and he was sure that his daughter would be just as ecstatic as he was upon her first trip to Diagon Alley.  
  
He'd finally be able to share his world, the world he'd kept hidden for so long, with his wife and daughter.  
  
He hated to admit that he missed it sometimes. He was happy, and he loved his wife and daughter, but he did long to share the world he grew up in with the two of them. He could just imagine the way Patricia's eyes would brighten. Even Carol's eyes would widen in wonder as he introduced the two to Diagon Alley and all of its splendor. Perhaps Patricia would even be sorted into his old house, Hufflepuff, though of course he'd be happy with any house that his daughter was sorted into.

But Patricia's 11th birthday came and went, and there was no Hogwarts letter waiting for her.   
  
Conor tried his best to hide his disappointment, but Carol noticed how preoccupied he was on Patricia's 11th birthday and questioned him on it.   
  
He thought about telling the truth. Part of him thought he _owed_ it to his wife and daughter. It wasn't fair that he kept lying to them.  
  
Instead, he responded with the first explanation that jumped into his head. _"I just can't believe our little girl is growing up so fast. 11 already! Where does the time go?"_ It wasn't a lie, it just wasn't the whole truth, not by any stretch of the imagination.  
  
Then, one day, Patricia absentmindedly wished that she could join a fantasy world depicted on one of the TV shows she was watching, and Conor felt an ache in his chest.  
  
He realized that he could _never_ tell Patricia what he was. It might not seem fair to keep hiding secrets from his family, but it seemed even less fair to dangle a promise of a world filled with magic in front of his daughter only to rip it away from her in the next breath for circumstances beyond either of their control.  
  
Patricia couldn't know. He wouldn't put her through that. 

When Conor O'Farrell passed away, he wasn't aware that his eldest grandson, who sat perched at his bedside, was already manifesting magic abilities that his daughter and son-in-law were at a loss to explain. He remained unaware that the three year old triplets would start showing their own magic a few years later, and that one year old Junie would do so a couple of years after them. Baby Mabel, on the other hand, would follow in her mother's footsteps.  
  
He thought the magic in the O'Farrell family died with him. How wrong he was.


	35. Chapter 35

Virgil saw the flaws in Patton's plan. He could see where Conor O'Farrell was coming from, and why he took the actions that he did.  
  
Ultimately, though, the decision on whether or not to tell his mother the truth about her father's history was Patton's, and Virgil knew that _Patton_ had his own reasons behind his actions.  
  
_"I know Grampy kept this from Mum for a reason,"_ Patton sighed. _"But he didn't know that Mum would have five children with magic. Mum found out at the magic world regardless, so she deserves to know about Grampy."_  
  
_"You don't think she'll lament over what she could have had?"_ Roman frowned.  
  
_"...maybe, but if she does she's probably already thought about it? It's not like the wizarding world is new to her at this point. She knows that five of her children have magic,"_ Patton pointed out. _"I...I'm going to call her. I...I'll be back in a bit."_  
  
Patton grabbed his phone and headed into the other room, presumably so that he'd have privacy when he made this call.  
  
_"Anyone else tempted to listen at the door?"_ Dee inquired after several seconds of silence. When the other three responded with arched eyebrows as if to say 'really?', Dee huffed. _"It was only a joke, sheesh."_  
  
Virgil didn't think it was, but he also had to admit that he understood where Dee was coming from. He wasn't _about_ to violate his best friend's request for privacy, but he understood Dee's curiosity.  
  
A few minutes later, Patton strolled back into the room. He didn't look _upset_, but he didn't look happy either. In fact, his expression was hard to read. This was peculiar, as Patton had a habit of wearing his heart on his sleeve. Either he felt the need to try to hide how he felt, or he wasn't sure how to feel himself.  
  
_"How did it go?"_ Roman asked in a gentle tone.  
  
Patton shrugged. _"I...pretty well, I think?"_  
  
_"You think?"_ It was Dee's turn to arch an eyebrow.  
  
_"How did she react when you informed her of what you discovered?"_ Logan asked, giving voice to the question that was on _all_ of their minds.  
  
_"She...she told me that she already knew,"_ Patton admitted at last.  
  
_"She already...how? And why would she not have shares this information with you sooner?"_ Roman gaped.  
  
_"Well, she didn't_ know _know,"_ Patton replied.  
  
_"Oh good, that clears everything up,"_ Dee remarked sardonically.  
  
_"I mean...its hard to explain? Gimme a sec to try to get this all together in my head so I can explain it better,"_ Patton requested.  
  
Virgil, Logan, Roman, and even Dee obliged.

\--------------------------  
  
Patty O'Farrell had an _amazing_ 11th birthday. Her father promised it would be one to remember, and it was!  
  
For the first time, Patty called all of the shots. She was used to choosing where they would go for dinner, but her parents allowed her to choose where she wanted to go for lunch as well! She also got to go to an arcade, the movies, a bookstore...she absolutely _loved_ it.  
  
She ran up to her father and hugged him as tightly as she could later that night. _"Thank you Daddy!"_  
  
_"What?"_ her father frowned. He'd been looking outside and clearly hadn't heard Patty come in. _"Oh...I'm glad you enjoyed it!"_  
  
Patty nodded. _"I did. I had a lot of fun!"_ She turned, making her way toward the living room to thank her mother.  
  
She wasn't _completely_ oblivious, though. She might be young, but she saw the way that her father immediately returned to his vigil. He looked troubled, and Patty nearly said something. It almost looked as though he were watching for something - _waiting_ for something. She didn't pry, though. She figured that it wasn't her business, and that whatever her father was waiting for would come eventually.  
  
It didn't.  
  
Patty grew up and had children of her own. Her father made a wonderful grandfather, and he was especially close to Patton, the eldest. Patton especially liked her father's magic tricks, which she'd enjoyed growing up as well. Her father used to promise when she was little that he would teach her the tricks some day, but he never did.  
  
He must have forgotten.  
  
Shortly before her father's passing, Patton began to display some 'magic tricks' of his own. Nearly falling down the stairs, but seeming to _float_ at the bottom just before hitting the ground, avoiding serious injury...


	36. Chapter 36

Virgil considered what Patton told them thus far. He wasn't _quite_ done with the story yet, but Virgil was already beginning to see where the pieces might come together...  
  
\------------------------  
  
Patty didn't know that her father could have explained _everything_ happening with her oldest son, had she known to tell him.  
  
Had she had the _chance_ to tell him.  
  
The strange happenstances did not stop, but also...seemed harmless for the most part? Patty and her husband were still at a loss for what to do with their bizarrely gifted little boy.  
  
The answer came as a knock on the door on Patton's 11th birthday.  
  
Patty and her husband Morgan exchanged glances. They weren't expecting any guests; Patton already had a party with his friends over the past weekend, and none of their extended family sent any indication that they would be stopping by for a visit.  
  
Patty opened the front door to find a strangely dressed visitor standing upon their porch.  
  
"May I come in?" they asked.  
  
Patty blinked in surprise. "I..."  
  
_"I apologize, you must think I'm here as a solicitor. In fact, I am here to speak with a young man by the name of Patton who has earned a place at our school,"_ they smiled.  
  
_"A place at your school? I don't...we haven't put his name into any places other than the one he's set to enter in the fall,"_ Patty frowned.  
  
_"Ah yes, but Patton's name has been on our list for years. Perhaps this letter might help?"_ The peculiar visitor reached into the pocket of their...black robe?, and pulled out an envelope. They handed the envelope to the two surprised parents.  
  
Patty hesitantly took the envelope, tearing it open and unfolding the letter within.  
  
True to the stranger's words, the letter enclosed was addressed to Patton, and offered their youngest son a spot at...  
  
_"Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry,"_ Patty breathed.  
  
_"I realize that you probably have a number of questions,"_ their guest observed. Patty's gaze shot up from the letter at once.  
  
_"That's, er, one way of putting it,"_ Morgan noted.

_"How did Patton's name get placed on the list for your school if we didn't put in his name?"_ Patty wondered.  
  
_"Let me guess, magic?"_ Morgan said with a chuckle.  
  
_"Exactly right,"_ their visitor smiled. _"An enchanted quill will write the name of any child who shows evidence of magical ability prior to their 11th birthday!"_  
  
_"Their 11th birthday?"_ Patty blinked.  
  
_"The day that all students admitted to Hogwarts receive their acceptance letter!"_ their guest grinned. _"For those born into wizarding families, they just receive their letter, but we usually pay personal visits to Muggleborns, so that we can explain how it works to those unfamiliar with our customs."_  
  
_"Muggleborns?"_ Morgan asked.  
  
_"Oh, my apologize. A Muggle is a person without magic ability,"_ they clarified.  
  
_"You said that students receive their letters on their 11th birthday?"_ Patty frowned.  
  
_"Indeed they do!"_ came the guest's response.  
  
_"Is it...is it possible for magic to skip a generation?"_ Patty inquired.  
  
The guest blinked in surprise, clearly not having expected a question like that. _"I suppose so. It is highly unlikely, though. Those with magic usually have children with magic. Squibs do exist, though, so I suppose there are exceptions."_  
  
_"Squibs?"_ Morgan wondered.  
  
_"Oh right, I keep forgetting that you don't know our lingo! Squibs do not possess magic, even though they are born to one or more parents with magic. I have heard that they are slightly more likely to appear within families that have one Muggle parent, though this is not always the case, and a union between two pureblood parents can still result in a squib."_  
  
_"...thank you,"_ Patty replied, mulling over what she just learned.  
  
Patton was called into the room soon afterward as his parents and their guest (Professor Stokes, they eventually learned) told an excited Patton that he was a wizard and would be going to Hogwarts.  
  
It explained a lot, Patty reasoned. The strange little quirks that Patton displayed, abilities that seemed _almost_ magical, because they _were_ magic after all.

But it didn't just explain things about Patton. It explained things about her father as well. His 'magic tricks'. The way he stared out the window wistfully on her 11th birthday, something that stuck with her for all of these years.

He was looking for her letter. A letter that never came. Why did he never tell her?

Patty had a different perspective as a mother than she would have at age eleven. Patty, as a mother, could place herself in her father's shoes. She imagined telling Patton that he was a wizard, only for Patton to never receive a letter on his 11th birthday. She imagined the look of devastation on her oldest son's features. 

She understood now in a way that she would have never understood then.

She also realized that, although she might not have magic of her own, her _son_ did. And she wanted to be there for him every step of the way. She might not be able to enter the world of magic herself, not fully at least, but she could accompany her son (and later children in the plural), and that was good enough for her.


	37. Chapter 37

Now that Patton and the others were aware that Patton's _parents_ were aware of their grandfather's magic, and vice versa, another decision hung in the balance.  
  
Should they tell Patton's younger siblings?  
  
_"I don't know if it'll make Mabel feel better or worse,"_ Patton confessed to the group one evening a few days after Patton divulged that his mother knew the truth about his grandfather.  
  
_"I know it would make me feel worse,"_ Roman confessed. _"Knowing that one of my ancestors had magic, that I ought to have inherited magic from them, only to not do so? I would be devastated."_  
  
_"Your perspective is skewed, though,"_ Logan pointed out.  
  
_"Yeah...well, your_ face _is skewed,"_ Roman bit back.  
  
_"I will opt to ignore that,"_ Logan rolled his eyes. _"I was not insulting you, Roman, merely making a point."_  
  
_"Oh,"_ Roman replied, looking the slightest bit sheepish.  
  
_"How is his perception skewed, though?"_ Patton furrowed his brow.  
  
_"Isn't it obvious?"_ Dee arched an eyebrow.  
  
_"Clearly it isn't, or we wouldn't be asking,"_ Roman huffed.  
  
_"Roman is a pureblood,"_ Logan noted. _"Which means that he is viewing this from a uniquely pureblood perspective. This is not to say that said perspective is wrong, mind. But Roman, tell the truth - Did you ever consider that you might not have magic?"_  
  
Roman's eyes widened slightly, then he shook his head. _"No. I always saw it as a given."_  
  
"I didn't," Virgil admitted, causing the others to turn to him in surprise. Given that he did not contribute much to their conversation prior to this, he couldn't say that it wasn't expected. "I worried that I might be a squib."  
  
_"Did you worry that you were a squib before your father or Dee introduced the idea?"_ Logan inquired.  
  
_"Would be awfully hard for him to do so without knowing what was a squib was, wouldn't it?"_ Dee replied in a quiet voice, catching Virgil off guard. For Dee, that was just about as good as a confession.  
  
_"You made him believe that he was a squib?!" _Roman turned to Dee in outrage. Virgil was surprised to see Dee flinch back in shock.

_"To be fair, I do not believe that the Dee we are acquainted with now would do such a thing,"_ Logan reasoned.  
  
_"What does this have to do with Mabel?"_ Patton frowned.  
  
_"Mabel's experience is different than ours. The same can be said for all of your siblings, really,"_ Logan informed them.

"How so?" Virgil wondered.

_"The moment that Patton learned of his acceptance to Hogwarts, there was a fundamental shift within his family,"_ Logan explained. He turned to Patton. _"Your mother recognized that her father was a wizard on the day she learned that you were one as well."_

_"And what does that mean?"_ Roman asked.

_"It means that Patton's siblings grew up under the belief that they were Muggles until Patton was accepted to Hogwarts, at which point it was expected that they would _all_ enter Hogwarts in time. At first I believed that your parents were mistaken in their believe that all of their children would be magical, Patton, but I stand corrected,"_ Logan admitted. _"Your mother had ever reason to believe that her children would be magical, as she is of magic blood herself. Though she may not possess that magic herself, there are still certain abilities that squibs have that ordinary Muggles do not. They can see things that are hidden from Muggles, for example,"_ Logan explained.

_"I still don't get what this has to do with Mabel,"_ Patton confessed.

_"Mabel's first exposure to the wizarding world was at a very tender age. When you received your letter to Hogwarts, the triplets were six, correct?" _Logan checked.

Patton nodded.

_"That would mean that Junie was four, and Mabel was three. As such, I believe that her memories of a time before she was expected to develop magic and go to Hogwarts are scarce, if not altogether nonexistent,"_ Logan deduced.

Patton gasped._ "So if she finds out that she's a squib, she'll be even more devastated!"_

_"Will she, though?"_ Dee wondered. _"_

_"Of course she will! She was so close, only to have it ripped away!"_ Patton lamented.

_"And she doesn't feel like that already?"_ Dee reminded him.

Patton fell silent at that. 

_"Wait...are you actually encouraging us to tell her? Them? I would have thought for certain that _Deceit_ would want us to lie,"_ Roman arched an eyebrow at Dee.

Dee let out a snort. _"You act as if it's as simple as that. It's not, hence my question."_

Virgil's eyes went wide as he understood what Dee was getting at. He wasn't encouraging Patton to _tell_ his siblings, nor was he encouraging Patton to keep it a secret. He was encouraging Patton to consider his options - _really_ consider them - before making a decision, so that he would hopefully make the right decision.

...but _was_ there a correct decision in this instance?


	38. Chapter 38

In the end, it wasn't solely Patton's decision to make. Patton recognized this, and decided to talk to his parents and see what they thought.   
  
Patty was a large part of the story, after all, and it was only right to include her in the decision being made.   
  
Patton and Roman left for Patton's parent's house to discuss the matter, as Patton felt it was best to discuss it with them in person. By the time Virgil and Logan got home from work, Patton and Roman were already home, and waiting in the living room with Dee.  
  
_"I presume you have reached your decision?"_ Logan deduced as he and Virgil took their seats.   
  
_"We have,"_ Patton replied. _"Dad was a little hesitant at first, but mum said she wants to tell them. She's all too familiar with secrets and she's getting kinda sick of them."_  
  
_"Who can blame her?"_ Dee said with a snort.  
  
Virgil honestly agreed.  
  
_"Yeah...and she figures that all of my siblings are old enough to understand everything now. Even Mabel is the same age that she was when she saw Grampy waiting for her letter, so..."_ Patton trailed off. _"She thinks it's better that everyone knows now, rather than finding out later down the road. She knows Grampy did it to protect her, but she still ended up finding out, and...there's nothing to really protect my siblings from? They already know about magic. They just don't know that Grampy had magic. And if my siblings are anything like us..."_  
  
_"Haven't they already proven that they are by sneaking Mabel into the school?"_ Roman said with a wry smirk.  
  
Patton chuckled. _"If my siblings are anything like us, they'll find out eventually. Better to tell them now, I think, than have them wonder why we didn't tell them when and if they find out later. The only question now is...how do we tell them?"_  
  
"You could write an owl to them?" Virgil suggested.  
  
_"I dunno, that seems so impersonal for something like this..."_ Roman frowned.  
  
_"What other choice is there? Meet them in the still rebuilding village of Hogsmeade, a place where students still are not allowed to enter?"_ Dee scoffed.  
  
_"We could wait until the holiday break to tell them? It's not_ that _far off,"_ Logan reasoned.  
  
"I don't know, what if it goes awry and ends up ruining their holiday?" Virgil pointed out.  
  
The debate continued, primarily between Dee, Logan, and Roman, as Virgil found it difficult to keep up with a spoken debate when he had to type out all of his responses ahead of time. As such, Virgil was the first to notice that Patton was not participating in said debate either, and instead eyeing Dee, Logan, and Roman with a troubled expression.  
  
"You okay, Pat?" Virgil asked through his phone.   
  
Patton nodded and sighed, rising to his feet.   
  
_"Where are you going?"_ Dee asked. Patton moving to his feet finally attracted the attention of the other three.  
  
_"I'm going to write a letter,"_ Patton replied.  
  
_"I thought we agreed that a letter isn't personal enough,"_ Roman frowned.  
  
_"Yes Roman, because your opinion on this matter is the only one that is valid,"_ Dee snapped.  
  
Upon hearing the other two, Logan was quick to say his piece as well. _"I still feel that waiting until holiday break would-"_  
  
_"I haven't made a decision yet!"_ Patton shouted over the other three, who fell silent. _"Please, stop arguing about this. I'm already nervous about it, and...and hearing you guys argue isn't helping. I'm going to write a letter to my siblings. I'm not sure if I'm going to send it or not. But I think it would make me feel better to write this out, even if I don't send it."_  
  
From there, the five of them went their separate ways. Patton went to his room to work on the letter, the rest of them deciding to give their friend some space to process his thoughts, as it seemed as though that was what he wanted. Dee entered into a conversation with Roman. Logan noted that he was going out to check the mail, and Virgil decided to fix himself some hot chocolate in the kitchen.  
  
He sighed, slowly raising the mug to his lips to take a sip. He might actually get a chance to relax for the first time in-  
  
Logan slammed the door open, causing Virgil to jump and spill some of his hot chocolate onto both his shirt and the floor below him. "Wha-"  
  
_"I need to speak to Patton now,"_ Logan blurted out. _"He needs to...he needs to know."_  
  
Patton needed to know? He needed to know what? Virgil glanced back at him in concern and confusion, the stain on the front of his shirt quickly forgotten in lieu of this burgeoning mystery. For the first time, Virgil noticed the papers clasped tightly within Logan's left hand, papers that unmistakably bore the heading _The Daily Prophet_.  
  
"Logan, what's going on?" Virgil managed to type into his phone before pressing play.  
  
_"The mission - their mission - it's in danger. Everything is in danger. Someone_ knows_,"_ Logan confessed. He threw down the issue of The Daily Prophet that he'd been holding. _"Look!"_  
  
Virgil peered down at the headline. It was concise and to the point, but the impact of the headline was like a punch to the gut.  
  
_A Muggle At Hogwarts?!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...on that note, this will be the end of this installment! Look forward to the next one within the next couple of days (as I'll probably post the next chapter for my other fic tomorrow, and this one on Tuesday).


End file.
